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Record year for John Hunter Site Carers
Thanks to a record fundraising effort by hospital volunteers, John Hunter Hospital and Royal Newcastle Centre patients and their families have benefited from an additional $260,000 worth of equipment and comforts in the last financial year.
Acting Director of Clinical Services and Nursing Todd McEwan said the hospital volunteers, who are known as the John Hunter Site Carers, do an exceptional job in fundraising for the hospital.
“During the 2007/2008 financial year the John Hunter Site Carers donated a total of $260,734.13 in equipment and comforts for patients to the John Hunter Hospital and Royal Newcastle Centre,” Mr McEwan said.
“This is a record year for these hardworking volunteers and testament to the amount of time and effort they dedicate to fundraising to purchase equipment and to improving the care and comfort of our patients and their families.”
Equipment purchased from these funds includes:
• New hospital beds - $50,000
• A system to assist staff with lifting patients - $28,000
• 40 bassinettes for newborn babies - $30,000
• Trauma beds for the emergency department - $22,000
• Motorised wheelchair for ICU - $13,000
• 10 new wheelchairs - $10,500
“Since 1991, the Carers have donated a total of $2.5 million to the hospital,” Mr McEwan said.
“Volunteers are an indispensable asset to Hunter New England Health and I extend my sincere thanks to the Carers for their outstanding fundraising effort and ongoing commitment to John Hunter Hospital and the Royal Newcastle Centre.”
More than 160 people, ranging in age from 16 to 90, volunteer as John Hunter Site Carers.
As well as fundraising through the sale of handcrafts and other projects, the Carers provide many different services including booking on-site accommodation for relatives, running the gift shop and delivering newspapers and magazines to the wards.
Contact: Gemma Smith
Phone: 4921 4501
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