St. Joseph’s Hospital staff show off the new portable GlideScope purchased for the Intensive Care Unit thanks to a generous grant from TB Vets Charitable Foundation last month. From left to right: Michelle Toole (Territory manager BC for Canadian Hospital Specialties), Lisadawn Shackleford (RN in ICU), Dr. Pedro Camacho, Craig Dickson (chief Respiratory Therapist) and Alana Drummond (clinical coordinator, ICU).

St. Joseph’s Hospital staff show off the new portable GlideScope purchased for the Intensive Care Unit thanks to a generous grant from TB Vets Charitable Foundation last month. From left to right: Michelle Toole (Territory manager BC for Canadian Hospital Specialties), Lisadawn Shackleford (RN in ICU), Dr. Pedro Camacho, Craig Dickson (chief Respiratory Therapist) and Alana Drummond (clinical coordinator, ICU).

On Sept. 1, TB Vets Charitable Foundation gifted the Comox Valley with a grant for $12,399 to purchase a new portable GlideScope for the Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph’s Hospital.

A GlideScope is a device that allows physicians to enable quick intubation for patients who: have difficult or restricted airways; are morbidly obese; or are affected by structural abnormalities. The GlideScope provides a consistently clear, real-time view of the patient’s airway, which enables faster and safer intubation.

The process of inserting an artificial airway (intubation) into a patient who is not breathing or is having significant difficulty breathing is a life-saving intervention that needs to occur efficiently and in a timely manner. Delays or difficulties could cause long-term or even fatal consequences, so TB Vets’ grant for a new GlideScope is a life-saving gift for the region.

“The staff of St. Joseph’s Intensive Care Unit would like to sincerely thank the TB Vets Charitable Foundation for their grant to purchase this GlideScope for our unit,” said Alana Drummond, clinical coordinator of the ICU. “We previously had access to a GlideScope, but it was located in the Emergency Department. There could be a delay of a few minute to retrieve the equipment, which would in turn leave the ER without immediate access to it.”

“Having this equipment on-hand in the ICU for the physicians to utilize immediately allows us to provide this lifesaving intervention without delay.”

The GlideScope arrived at St. Joseph’s in November, then a representative from the equipment company Canadian Hospital Specialties came to the hospital Nov. 25 to show staff how to use and clean the Glidescope. The equipment will be used on site at St. Joseph’s until its transfer to the new Comox Valley Hospital next fall when acute care services move over to the new facility.

“This is a piece of equipment that our ICU has needed for a long time, so we were very excited when the grant application was approved by TB Vets,” said Lynn Dashkewytch, executive director of Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation, which submitted the grant application to TB Vets on behalf of St. Joseph’s Hospital. “TB Vets has been a vital supporter of local healthcare for many years, and through their grants our hospital has received numerous pieces of life-saving respiratory equipment for all walks of life in our community.”

TB Vets has been supporting respiratory wellness in B.C. for over 70 years through its Key Tag program and other initiatives, and since 1996, they have donated over $145,000 in grants to St. Joseph’s Hospital, touching many lives in the Comox Valley from first breath to end-of-life care.

To learn more about the TB Vets Charitable Foundation, visit www.tbvets.org

If you would like to make a contribution to Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation and support medical and patient needs at either St. Joseph’s or the new Comox Valley Hospital, visit www.cvhealthcarefoundation.com