Macksville Op Shop manger Margaret Moule, Deputy Director of Nursing Lisa Slater, volunteers Colleen Donoghue and Beverley Kirkby and Perioperative Nurse Unit Manager Theresa Keighran.
Volunteers transform pre-loved into much-needed
Nov 25, 2020The hardworking volunteers of Macksville Opportunity Shop have transformed pre-loved clothing into a much-needed piece of medical equipment at Macksville District Hospital.
The $10,000 gift, made possible by the Op Shop in Cooper Street, has helped fund a $14,000 surgical bed for the hospital’s Operating and Recovery unit.
The ‘smart’ bed features technology that helps promote safe patient handling and reduce fall-related injuries. It can weigh patients, has capacity to connect to nurse call systems wirelessly, and helps improve patient outcomes.
Deputy Director of Nursing Lisa Slater said the intelligent bed was a ‘game changer’ for the Operating suite and recovery unit.
“The equipment is totally focused on patient safety in an acute care setting,” Ms Slater said.
“This innovative, electric smart bed can be easily maneuvered by our nurses, and it has versatile seating and sleeping positions to maximise patient comfort and safety.
“We are very grateful to the Op Shop volunteers for helping us secure this piece of equipment, and we’re looking forward to seeing more of these state-of-the-art beds in our hospital.”
Op Shop manager Margaret Moule said her team was delighted they had been able to make such an important contribution to the hospital.
“We love to support our local hospital,” Mrs Moule said.
“Of course, we couldn’t do it without the community’s support, from the donated pre-loved items that are gifted to us to the shoppers who visit us. I also want to pay tribute to everyone who gives of their time to work in the Op Shop, in particular Bev, Wendy, Linda, John, Jo, Brad and Colleen. Without their support, we wouldn’t have a shop and, subsequently, wouldn’t be able to support our hospital.”
The volunteers, aged from 50 to 83, share the shop counter roster, as well as the sorting and display tasks.
“We have a small but wonderful team who arrive at work on their rostered days ready to make the world a better place,” Mrs Moule said.