Fund-A-Need 2024:

The Charity Classic is the North Okanagan’s premier golf tournament, focused on advancing excellence in healthcare in our community. Each year, we ask our medical teams what equipment, if purchased today, would have the biggest impact on the quality of care delivered to patients in our region. These items become of Fund-A-Need, supported by the amazing generosity of our golf tournament sponsors and guests.

From leading edge AI to simple equipment that is the lifeline of healthcare, here are some of the most urgently needed items that have been identified this year:

  • Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in Canada. This year, more than 3,300 British Columbians will be diagnosed with colon cancer, including an increasing number of people under 50. When caught early, it has a 90% survival rate, but with no obvious symptoms, it’s easy to miss.

    Almost all colon cancer starts as polyps. GI Genius is an artificial intelligence system that helps physicians improve their overall accuracy in detecting pre-cancerous polyps. The small blue computer module, which can be added on to the existing endoscopy equipment, uses deep learning algorithms and real-time data to help medical teams “see” pre-cancerous polyps that may be hard to detect by the human eye.

    In large, randomized controlled trials, the GI Genius system:

    • increased detection of polyps by 30%

    • was 50% more likely to detect multiple polyps

    • was more cost effective than colonoscopy alone

  • Used during anesthesia to monitor the state of the brain and integral for OR teams to assess safe sedation levels for each individual patient’s need.

  • Ensures injection and intravenous fluids are at an appropriate temperature to be accurately controlled and maintained to prevent adverse reactions during trauma resuscitation.

  • A specialized mobility device designed to provide enhanced comfort, positioning, and pressure relief for patients at risk of skin damage.

  • This vitals machine will be used in the Cancer Centre to monitor patients receiving outpatient treatment, enabling prompt detection of any adverse effects.

  • An invaluable interpretation device allowing medical staff to communicate with patients with language barriers and who have no family present.

  • An important tool to monitor a baby’s heartbeat in utero and assess/triage maternity patients for prompt admission to hospital, if required.

  • Instruments used to perform mastectomies to treat breast cancer. VJH has seen an increase in the number of patients requiring mastectomies and this purchase would enable the OR to perform more mastectomy procedures.

  • Used to examine and diagnose any ailments affecting a young patient’s ears or eyes, from diagnosing retinal dysfunctions to removing foreign objects lodged in ear canals. 

  • Each toolkit includes two tuning fork kits (high and low) and four reflex hammers. Used to assess a patient’s sensory output, including hearing and reflex response.