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economist suntribune saturday dec 21 2002 11 mckhmr swshi wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season from the stamlmmmsjammm the lab medical laboratories perform their work to very high standards in precision and accuracy the margin for variation in equip ment and process performance is very narrow in september 2001 the ministry of health and long term care announced a new process for inspecting and monitoring the performance standards for all laboratories in the province the ontario laboratory accreditation ola is a peer accreditation pro gram that defines requirements for all branches of laboratory medicine and is based on criteria substantiated by legislation and recognized standards and guidelines our laboratory is reviewing the requirements and preparing for their first accredi tation inspection the cardiorespiratory and electrodiagostics lab this year we upgraded the electroencephalography equipment our new eeg system performs examinations of brain activity and helps with the diagnosis and treatment of neurological dis orders in children and adults our technologists are a dedicated group of professionals who work with msh and other hospitals bringing with them expertise in both adult and pediatric areas the hew sleep laboratory that was profiled last year is busy with space for three patients per night our specialists the neurologists and respirologists who interpret the eeg and sleep studies are pleased to have these important technolo gies to support their ability to diagnose and treat patients referred to them diagnostic imaging the radiologists cardiologists and technologists are very excit ed about the arrival of the new dual headed gamma camera this very sophisticated piece of medical technology resides in the nuclear medicine department within diagnostic imaging di the camera images the physiological functions of many body organs and systems and is used in the diagnosis and fol lowup of a diverse set of clinical conditions this camera pro vides superb resolution and advanced design engineering enabling the technologists to image the heart kidneys skele ton lungs etc with precision the physicians interpreting the studies now have access to advanced software applications that enhance their diagnostic capabilities the camera will be con nected to the hospital network and will acquire transfer and store the images for interpretation electronically on the pacs picture archival communications system the professionals in di have spent the year working in a markedly changed environment all the examinations are now done without the traditional xray film every aspect of how the staff and radiologists dp their jobs have changed in the pacs world if you have had an xray lately you might have noticed that the doctor in emergency could see your images right away this certainly helps us live up to our goals in the fast track clinic in celebration of new beginnings we have renamed the film library the image management center markham stouffville hospital is fortunate to be in a position to use current technology in providing great patient care our thanks go out again to the business and resident community for their generous and considerate support of the diagnostic system bankers in markham and richmond hill have chal lenged each other in this campaign to see who can raise the most money here john borch from hsbc and lorraine kenney andrew baldwin and jim parkhill from td canada trust left to right partici pate in the team 905 phonathon to raise money for a new gamma camera for markham stouffville hospital good health is good business is the theme of the team 905 campaign that enables the business com munity to become involved with the hospital for fur ther information on how to become a part of team 905 call marion zimmer manager of corporate and major gifts at 9054727089 helpful hints for holiday giving i gical sllife take your time its okay to take a day or two to consider a request for a donation you can always send in your contributions at a later date get information understand the organizations mission arid the way it intends to use your donations ask the charity for a brochure or other information or visit their website offer to volunteer your time to promote the goals and objectives of the charity and to learn more about the organization know who you are dealing with ask whether those seeking your donation are volunteers employees of the organization or hired solicitors this will influence their perspective and help you consider the infor mation theyre sharing if its a hired solicitor ask how theyre being paid percentagebased compensation taking a percentage of each contribution received often leads to very high fundraising costs and little of the gift will be used for charitable purposes percentagebased fundraising is prohibited by the afps code of ethics be careful of mistaken identity many charities have similar sounding names so make sure the charity you are considering is the one you think it is give safely online as internet use increases more and more charities are set ting up online donations make sure the site you are using has a safe private and secure system that protects your per sonal information give the smart gift of giving embrace the trend toward conscious giving and combine your holiday gift giving with charitable giving adopt an endangered panda for your aunt sue save the rainforest for your kids teachers or help your local hospital purchase a ct scanner unique and inspiring charitable gifts are the perfect way to show you care it is the time of year when many wish lists are being written the hospital too has its wish list at the top of the wish list is the wish to provide the very best service possible to our patients in order to do this the hospital must shorten the waiting lists for surgery a new surgical suite is an immediate priority for the hospital all cataract surgery will be moved to the new surgical suite thereby allowing the hospital to hire a new ophthalmologist in turn waiting times for this vital surgery sometimes 8 to 12 months will be reduced by relocating cataract surgery there will be more capacity for both orthopaedic cases and for endoscopic procedures such as colonoscopies this will make a big difference to patients who may cur rently have to wait 12 to 18 months for a hip or knee replacement and for patients needing colonoscopies this will help reduce waiting times- which are now up to 4 or 6 months finally the additional surgical capacity will improve flexibility and offer growth opportunities to services such as general surgery ear nose and throat procedures plastic surgery and some gynecological procedures the total cost of the new surgical suite is 16 million the cost covers three components surgical suite- renovation and equipment 870000 expand spu surgical procedures unit endoscopy and reconfigure day surgery renovation and equipment 469280 equipment and renovation of space for clinic moved from spu 18 1600 each component of the surgical suite project has both renovation and equipment costs to build the new surgical suite and be able to keep pace with growing demand from our community we must rely on the help of our donors hence we are turning to businesses and individuals in our community to help fund the 16 million cost of the surgical expansion if you are interested in further information about the surgical suite and how to support the project please contact marion zimmer manager of corporate and major giving at 9054727089 wwwmslioiica w a a special thank you to all of individuals corporations businesses service clubs private foundations and organizations who have contributed to markham stouffville hospital foundation we appreciate your generosity and we want you to know that your gift has made a difference to the health of our community thank you some of the equipment you helped purchased in 20012002 life pak 12 monitor defibrillatorpacer emergency vision bipap ventilator and stand icuccubeds icuccu continuous flow resectoscope surgical echocardiology probe diagnostic system eeg machine diagnostic system telemetry monitoring system medicine dash 3000 monitor maternalchild oxygen saturation monitor complex rehab palliative care fire fighters of york region calendar supports msh a few of the fire fighters of york region featured in their first annual calendar were at the hospital recently to sell and autograph calendars the calendar proceeds will go to breast cancer and the three york region hospitals including markham stouffville hospital seasons greetings to our fire fighters what a great bunch calendars are still available call msh foundation at 9054727059 to purchase yimmssox