Let's rally together to protect and support frontline health care workers at HSC and the patients in their care.
Donate NowIn March 2020, we established the COVID-19 Crisis Response Fund to help HSC Winnipeg meet the ever-evolving demands of the pandemic. As of March 2022, we have been able to invest over $2.5 million thanks to your generosity. Here is a snapshot of what your support has made possible so far:
High-flow nasal cannula machines to keep patients off ventilators for as long as possible.
EDGE II ultrasound machines for vital procedures and a wide variety of patient evaluations.
New video-assisted laryngoscopes that are essential given the dramatic increase in resuscitations and patients requiring intubation.
Complimentary bedside phone, television, and video chat services for patients at more than 500 beds for 20 months.
With support from HSC Foundation’s lottery programs.
Work-on-wheels workstations to help health care professionals perform their demanding, essential daily tasks.
End-tidal modules that allow a patient’s CO2 to be measured from a safe distance without drawing blood.
PX ultrasound machines for HSC’s Emergency Department, the largest and busiest ED in Manitoba.
Funded through Savour Virtual: Wine & Food Experience
Bedside carts for patient care and critical care procedures.
The Feeding the Frontlines initiative that provided over 43,000 complimentary meals to frontline health care workers at HSC.
Investment in the research and development of locally produced N95-like silicone masks that can be sterilized right on the hospital unit.
Pictured: HSC’s Dr. Christian Petropolis, mask co-designer.
Equipment purchases (specifically tablets, thermometers, and oximeters) to support HSC’s Virtual COVID-19 Outpatient Program for people like Lin Conover who recovered from COVID-19 at home, and people with chronic conditions.
“If it had not been for the VCOP people really paying attention to me and monitoring my condition, this could have been a very different story.” – Lin Conover
Portable ventilators to use when transporting patients, and at bedsides outside of the ICU if required.
Funded through Savour Virtual: Wine & Food Experience
Tablets and mobile phones that allow patients to stay in touch with their families and to facilitate meetings among patients, their families, and care providers while visitor restrictions are in place.
Expanded cellular coverage in the Emergency Department to address communication issues for staff and allow patients to communicate more easily with loved ones.
UV disinfection units to sterilize items brought into the hospital. These units kill up to 99.9% of bacteria and viruses without using harsh chemicals.
Arjo Hoyer portable lifts for safely and efficiently lifting and moving patients.
A thromboelastography tool that rapidly tests blood and checks for problems with clotting. In minutes staff can obtain a result that directs which blood product is needed next in a transfusion.
A Belmont Rapid Infuser, a device that allows rapid administration of fluids and blood products for patients who are in shock.
Portable telemetry monitors so that electrocardiograms can be assessed at the bedside, eliminating the strain on both patients and hospital resources of having to move patients to fixed stations elsewhere in the hospital.
Thermoguard XP, a device that helps maintain body temperature at a specific goal to heal injuries and blood clotting.
Spin cycles and tablets that enhance HSC’s PsycHealth’s Movement for Mental Health program for in-patients as the pandemic shines a bright light on the importance of mental health programming and care.
Funded through Savour Virtual: Wine & Food Experience
A blue light laser, used in vocal cord surgery, that is less invasive, allows for quicker recovery, better patient outcomes, and can be used on an awake patient in an outpatient clinic thereby freeing up space in the operating room.
Bluetooth-enabled oxygen sensors that immediately alert staff when there is a disruption in a patient’s oxygen supply. These complement previously purchased CO2 monitors that allow patient monitoring at a distance.
Additional vital signs machines that ensure availability at patient bedsides when they are needed.
Hotel rooms for frontline health care workers to rest and wash between shifts and before going home.
Fifteen thousand reusable, non-medical masks that ensure visitors can still see their loved ones or attend appointments at HSC Winnipeg, even if they have forgotten to bring a mask or do not own one.
Patient rotation sleeves better utilize hospital resources by helping health care professionals rotate patients onto their stomachs. This position improves oxygen supply to their lungs, ultimately improving patient care and reducing mortality.
This specialized piece of equipment can convert from a stretcher to a chair, helping to improve torso control as patients start moving after being in bed for prolonged periods.
Using slings, this track provides support to weaker patients as they start taking their first steps.
With the increased workload and the increase in staffing, Medical Intensive Care staff were in need of a new refrigerator for their break room.
The Q-NRG+ is a portable machine that measures resting energy expenditure in patients to help staff calculate how many calories each individual patient requires.
