The Dorchester General Hospital Foundation and the hospital Auxiliary continue to support the ongoing advancement of quality medical care for residents of Dorchester County. Most recently, the Foundation and the Auxiliary dedicated a total of $48,000 toward the purchase of new and replacement technologies for UM Shore Medical Center at Dorchester’s Laboratory Services Department.
According to Foundation President Ida Jane Baker, the centerpiece of the new lab equipment is the $26,000 Biomerieux Vidas 3 BRAHMS Procalcitonin (PCT) analyzer. The Dorchester General Hospital Foundation’s 2018-2019 appeal called for community support to make its purchase possible. Now installed and fully operational, the Vidas 3 helps to distinguish between viral and bacterial infections.
“This is a wonderful technology that assists medical professionals in evaluating a patient’s risk of severe sepsis or sepsis shock,” says Baker. “It also is useful in determining whether antibiotic therapy is effective for patients with suspected or confirmed respiratory tract infections or sepsis.”
Photo: Nancy Duvall, DGH Auxiliary president, Cathy Gullion, DGH Auxiliary treasurer, Penny Pink, executive director, SMC at Dorchester, DGH Foundation president Ida Jane Baker and Koreen Smith, site coordinator, Laboratory Services, SMC at Dorchester.
The Auxiliary of Dorchester General Hospital, which raises funds through the Robin Hood Shop, the hospital gift shop and special vendor sales, provided $22,000 to fund the purchase of several laboratory instruments, including a hematology slide stainer, a urine analyzer, two microscopes, a centrifuge and two slide warmers.
“Our Auxiliary members were very enthusiastic about designating funds raised this year to benefit Laboratory Services,” says Nancy Duvall, Auxiliary president. “They understand the importance of having the best, high-tech equipment available to support the health of our community. Auxiliary volunteers work hard, but they really appreciate their shared camaraderie and the gratification of knowing that their efforts bring better health care for their families, friends and neighbors.”
“Having top-quality laboratory equipment at our Dorchester hospital improves patient outcomes and can even save lives,” said Koreen Smith, laboratory site coordinator at Dorchester. “All of us working in Laboratory Services are ever so grateful to the Auxiliary for their hard work and generosity, and also to the Foundation and the many donors who responded to the appeal so that these equipment purchases could be made.”
As part of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), University of Maryland Shore Regional Health is the principal provider of comprehensive health care services for more than 170,000 residents of Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. UM Shore Regional Health’s team of more than 2,500 employees, medical staff, board members, and volunteers works with various community partners to fulfill the organization’s mission of Creating Healthier Communities Together.
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