Generous community financial support to the Foundation continues to enhance patient care, as well as community health and education. Each contribution represents a significant investment in the health and well being of our community. As our community grows, your generosity will provide the means for additional expertise with prompt, convenient, and improved health care.
As a nonprofit organization dedicated to the mission of Sierra Vista Regional Health Center, the Foundation relies especially on support from friends like you for your support. The Foundation works to provide the latest state-of-the-art facilities, equipment and services for our healthcare community. Thanks to the many wonderful donors, the Foundation has been able to purchase C-Arms, a Digital Mammography System, Cardiac Monitors for our Emergency Department and Progressive Care Unit, Electrocardiographs for our new clinics in Sonoita, Tombstone and Douglas, and dash monitors and oxygen analyzers for our Maternal Child department, as well as pay for the renovation of the Moorman Avenue Services Building.
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EKG Machines
There have been many useful technological advances over the past 100 years, but probably nothing can compare to the EKG machine and electrocardiogram and their effectiveness in diagnosing heart disease. Years ago, the EKG machines were the size of a small room and were not as portable and convenient or effective as they are today. The EKG machines now are smaller, lightweight and very portable.
As your heart beats, a pattern is created that goes into the machine through the electrodes. The electrical impulses that are emitted are read on a print out attached to the EKG machine. As you continue to exercise, the machine reads and transmits on paper if there are any fluctuations, strain or alarming patterns that might signal a problem with your heart. The doctor evaluates the results and suggests further treatment or gives you a clean bill of health. The use of EKG machines, which is painless, has proven to be one of the greatest life-saving inventions in recent history.
As Sierra Vista Regional Health Center has reached out to neighboring communities by opening primary care health clinics in Sonoita, Tombstone, and Douglas, the need for EKG machines at these satellite sites sparked the Foundation to raise money towards the purchase of this vital piece of equipment.
In June of 2010 the Foundation mailed out a Grateful Patient mailing to request funds to support the purchase of the EKG monitors and received money back that was put towards the purchase. Two months later in August, the Foundation's Annual Carter Classic also brought in money to support the purchase of the EKG machines. combined together, the concerted effort allowed the Foundation the opportunity to present each clinic with a new EKG machine in order to continue to care for their clinic patients.
Dash Monitors & Oxygen Analyzers
Sometimes our littlest patients need some big help. A need was identified by our Maternal Child Unit for specialized equipment to help put our new mom's minds at ease. The Foundation was hard at work raising the monies needed to provide the needed equipment so the Maternal/Child staff could continue to effectively treat our sick and premature newborn babies.
The 2010 Carter Classic netted over $75,000 and part of the proceeds went towards purchasing the four dash monitors and nine oxygen analyzers for the Maternal/Child Unit which enabled our moms and newborns to breathe a little easier.
Digital Mammography
With advancements in technology, we find ourselves comparing old and
new technologies in everything that we do. Just as consumers
strive for the best picture when they decide between traditional or
digital cameras, physicians as well have the choice between digital or
analog mammography equipment. Sierra Vista Regional Health
Center has collaborated closely with the SVRHC Foundation to raise
$654,400 for a digital mammography system which provides Radiologists with
clear digital images in the fight against breast cancer.
SVRHC’s Digital Mammography system is a state-of-the-art machine called a Selenia, made by Hologic. This digital mammography system includes a CAD (Computer-assisted detection) capability. A CAD system uses a digitized mammography image that can be obtained from either a conventional film mammogram or a digitally acquired mammogram. The computer software then searches for abnormal areas of density, mass, or calcification that may indicate the presence of cancer. The CAD system highlights these areas on the images, alerting the radiologist of the need for further analysis. With previous mammography equipment, patients would have to wait after their exam to see if the results were clear enough to read. Sometimes, a patient will move slightly or breathe, creating a fuzzy image. After taking the images, they would have to be developed, then inspected for clearness which could take up to ten additional minutes. With Digital Mammography, we can have the image up on the screen in ten seconds, and know instantly if the images need to be retaken or not.
Through the collaborative efforts of the Foundation, patients in Sierra Vista and the surrounding community no longer need to travel to a larger city to benefit from this advanced technology. For a mammography appointment, please call the Carter Imaging Center at (520) 417-3621.
Cardiac Monitors
In a hospital, each patient has a unique circumstance. Critical
Care environments rely heavily on technology, so trusting in equipment
and the level of care given by staff, go hand in hand. Recently,
SVRHC with the assistance of the Hospital Foundation, has installed new
state-of-the-art cardiac monitors on their Progressive Care Unit.
Choosing a monitor for its functionality and versatility is a priority. The new GE Patient Monitoring System is a five-lead, 72 hour data recall monitoring system which can simultaneously monitor rhythm, rate, blood pressure, and pulse oximeter. Utilizing a system that can monitor more information at once is key to recognizing changes in a patient’s condition quicker. Aside from monitoring cardiac patients, continuous monitoring is useful for observation of postoperative patients, patients with severe electrolyte imbalances, and other medically unstable patients. Continuous cardiac monitoring allows for prompt identification and initiation of treatment for cardiac arrhythmia and other conditions.
The new GE Cardiac Monitors are a result of the collaborative effort
between SVRHC and SVRHC’s Foundation. The fundraising events the
SVRHC Foundation organized resulted in an initial donation of $82,818 bringing the purchase price of the
monitors down to a more attainable level for SVRHC, which is a
non-profit facility. We have purchased 10 - Dash 3 Cardiac Monitoring Systems for the Progressive Care Unit for $83,585.00 and 10 – Dash 400 Cardiac Monitoring Systems for the Emergency Department for $105,060.00
Moorman Outpatient Services Building
In 2010, Sierra Vista Regional Health Center embarked upon a new expansion project which centralized Hospice, Outpatient Laboratory, Diabetic Education and Infusion services for its patients. The hospital leased a building formerly used by South Eastern Arizona Behavioral Health Services or SEABHS located at 185 Moorman Avenue. The building is called the Moorman Outpatient Services Building. In an effort to increase space and patient satisfaction, the decision to move the four outpatient services to a more convenient location within Sierra Vista was a strategic goal of the hospital.
The 4,500 square-foot building underwent a renovation that cost $250,000 in order to ready the existing structure to provide safe and excellent patient care. Existing rooms were divided into patient care areas and office space, creating a smoother flow for patients while meeting the increasing need of these services in the region. In order to help offset the costs of renovating the building, the Sierra Vista Regional Health Center Foundation and Auxiliary organizations collaborated on a special 50/50 raffle which provided the hospital the final $50,000 needed to complete the project. The Auxiliary and Foundation each had previously donated $125,000 from other fundraisers towards the project.
C-Arm
In 2007 the Foundation was able to purchase two C-Arms for SVRHC with a generous donation of $252,000. C-Arms, as the name suggests, is a precise and accurate mobile fluoroscopic imaging system, consisting of a C-shaped metal mount equipped with an X-ray source at one end and an image acquisition system at the other end. This machine provides minimal invasiveness during both surgical and non-surgical procedures. There is less discomfort for the patient as they are placed between the X-ray source and the image acquisition system. The X-Ray source is switched on and the images obtained are used to either guide a surgical instrument or diagnose a pathological condition.
Contact Us:
Sierra Vista Regional Health Center Foundation
300 El Camino Real
Sierra Vista, AZ 85635
Telephone: (520) 417-3021
Fax: (520) 417-3029
Email: Foundation@svrhc.org