The Wilson Memorial Hospital Foundation recently applied for and received a $6,000 grant from the Monarch Legacy Fund of the Community Foundation of Shelby County and a $1,000 grant from St. Jacob Evangelical Lutheran Church’s Endowment Fund to assist with the purchase of a LIFENET EKG Transmitting System to be used in Wilson Memorial’s Emergency Department.
The new LIFENET EKG Transmitting System provides patients who are transported via an EMS team the advantage of a considerably earlier EKG. EMS personnel will perform a 12-lead EKG in the field wherever the patient is located. Through use of the LIFENET System, that information can be transmitted to the Emergency Department while the ambulance is en route to the hospital with the press of a single button on their defibrillator. The Emergency Department (ED) staff can then prepare for the patient’s arrival, saving valuable time. The pre-hospital arrival 12-lead EKG can be shared between the ED physician and cardiologist for consultation.
“Rapid and accurate communication between the EMS Team and the Emergency Department staff can mean the difference between life and death for many patients,” said Rhonda Sanvido, manager of the Emergency Department. “The LIFENET System allows the necessary information to get where it is needed quickly – allowing the patient to move more efficiently into and through the care processes.”
The former Monarch Machine Tool Company Foundation established the Monarch Legacy Fund and is administered by the Community Foundation of Shelby County. The Fund disburses grants to a wide range of not-for-profit organizations and community projects in Shelby County.
St. Jacob’s generous contributions have not only helped with the purchase of new EKG software, but also The Copeland-Emerson Family Birth Center, hospice, women’s health and diabetic education.
“We are so thankful for what St. Jacob’s and the Community Foundation’s Monarch Legacy Fund have done for Wilson over the years,” said Bonnie Faulkner, executive director Wilson Foundation. “Their support has strengthened the healthcare provided in our area and will now allow Wilson to use the fastest, most secure and most reliable means of transmitting patient EKG data.”
For information about EKG’s or cardiac testing available at Wilson, please call (937) 498-5574 or visit wilsonhealth.org. For information about making a donation to the hospital, call the Wilson Foundation at 498-5575 or you can make a donation online.