St John of God Foundation is thrilled to be a Channel 7 Telethon Trust (Telethon) beneficiary once again in 2024. Telethon funding means that state-of-the-art maternity and paediatric equipment will be available in WA to help provide the very best care for vulnerable babies and their families. This includes:
- Three new Neonatal Ventilators for St John of God Subiaco and Midland Hospitals, to provide vital, temporary ventilation whilst transporting newborn babies with critical or life threatening conditions.
- Seven Panda Warmers with ResusView for Special Care Nurseries at St John of God Murdoch and Subiaco Hospitals, keeping babies warm, safe and comfortable while in hospital.
- Three baby CPR Mannequins sets for St John of God Murdoch, Midland and Subiaco Hospitals, helping to prepare caregivers for emergency situations.
- An Accuvein Finder for St John of God Midland Hospital, to help caregivers with being able to find veins as quickly and safely as possible, reducing anxiety and distress in young patients.
- An Airvo Respiratory Device for St John of God Murdoch Hospital
Dr Noel Friesen, Head of Department, Paediatric Medicine – St John of God Midland Hospital, said the new equipment will have a multitude of benefits for patients in the local community.
“We will be able to train our doctors with cutting edge equipment to maximise outcomes during neonatal resuscitation, provide ventilation to babies born prematurely which will protect their lungs, and to support infants, toddlers, and preschool children who have respiratory infections with a piece of equipment that now makes transportation easier while their breathing is supported,” Dr Friesen said.
Dr Friesen also expressed his thanks to Telethon for helping to make this possible.
“A very sincere expression of thanks as this equipment will really help us continue providing high quality care when it comes to resuscitation of neonates and in their post-resuscitation care. Additionally, some of the other items of equipment will have a big impact on our ability to manage paediatric respiratory infections, our most common reason for admission, when those patients deteriorate. What I’m most grateful for is that we can give the people of this area, many of whom are disadvantaged, the highest quality of health care.”
In the past year, Telethon has also supported St John of Murdoch Hospital with the provision of a baby ventilator for the Special Care Nursery, as well as providing a fetal monitoring machine at St John of God Subiaco Hospital.
“We are incredibly proud to partner with Telethon again this year, and are grateful for their ongoing commitment to WA families,” said St John of God Foundation CEO Bianca Pietralla.
The new equipment, made possible by Telethon’s funding is anticipated to be operational in hospitals later this year, further bolstering health care services across the region.