It’s not clear when patients will be able to use them again, but the Rotary Club of Christina Lake has donated six flat screen TVs that have been installed in the patient rooms at Boundary Hospital in Grnad Forks.
Rotary president Donna Wilchynski says it is the first opportunity they have had to give back to the community since the club was chartered last year.
The donation was made possible in part due a grant from the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International as well as funding support from the Rotary E-Club of the Southwest USA.
“We thought it was a really good idea to help the hospital in this way because they were No. 1 in need of some new televisions, and No. 2, it made sense in these crazy times of COVID to be able to help those patients stay connected when their loved ones couldn’t necessarily pop in to see them,” Wilchynski says.
Although they were initially hoping to donate three or four sets, thanks to some shrewd shopping, they were able to up that to six, at a value of just over $1,000 US, Wilchynski says.
The TVs were installed last month, but soon afterward Boundary Hospital’s inpatient unit was closed due to a severe shortage of registered nurses.
“The Rotary Club of Christina Lake’s generous donation will provide a way to keep patients connected while receiving medical treatment,” Suzanne Lee, director of clinical operations for the Boundary said in a news release.
“Our community depends on our hospital and with the help of local organizations like the Rotary Club of Christina Lake we are able to provide support beyond just the medical attention.”