We’re always excited when we come to the end of a fundraising campaign because it means we’re able to give the go-ahead to that particular department in the hospital to purchase medical equipment to improve the services they offer to patients and clients.
There’s a little extra excitement this year because we’re purchasing a piece of state-of-the-art equipment that will be available ONLY at Valley Regional – no where else in Nova Scotia currently has this equipment. It’s called a vaporization device and it’s used to treat men suffering from benign enlarged prostates.
For 9 out of 10 men, the procedure using the new device will be as an outpatient compared to a stay of a few days using the current method. The surgery will be virtually bloodless as the plasma energy vaporizes tissue and coagulates blood vessels. The current method is messier and more uncomfortable with each patient requiring a catheter during their stay.
So, the new device will be gentler on the patient and save dollars in the health system. That’s a win-win in my book!