Thousands per head: Are these Qld’s most generous dinner guests?
On a Saturday night in June, fundraisers gathered at the Cairns Showgrounds for the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation. What happened next surprised organisers.
Guests of the Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation’s recent annual donor dinner may be some of the most generous in the state, after raising a record amount for lifesaving equipment.
The 128 people in attendance managed to raise a highly significant $1.1 million – equating to an average of more than $8500 per person – in just one night.
The foundation had been looking for donations to bring one of the most advanced forms of life support – an Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) service – to the Cairns Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.
But total donations far exceeded the $800,000 target, meaning additional funds raised will now go towards the next fundraising goal – an orthopaedic surgery imaging system.
Far North Queensland Hospital Foundation chief executive Gina Hogan said she amount raised would be “transformational”.
“We were overwhelmed by the generosity shown on the night,” she said.
“Because of this support, we can now establish an ECMO stabilisation service in Cairns, helping critically unwell patients access life-saving treatment sooner.”
Currently, patients who need ECMO rely on a specialist retrieval team which must travel from Brisbane to start treatment, a process that can take up to 12 hours, she said.
“In a critical situation, minutes and hours can make all the difference.”
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Meanwhile, the imaging system would be used on patients having spinal surgery, Hogan said.
“It means when surgeons are placing nails and screws during a procedure, they can check the placement, right there in the theatre, without having to take them – still anaesthetised – down to Medical Imaging to check.
“That is why this support from our community is so important, and why the impact of this generosity will be felt by patients and families across our region for many years to come.”
The annual donor dinner was held at the Cairns Showgrounds on June 20.
The foundation specifically noted “significant” donations from KenFrost Homes, the Chapman Foundation, the Bresnahan family, Ellis and Denise Richardson, the Mills Family Foundation, Fowler’s Group and EMS Export.
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