9 March/2018

To the Ladies Auxiliary of Gold River:

On behalf of the myself, Dr. Yeomans, and Dr. Clark at the Gold River Medical Centre, I would like to offer our sincere thanks to the Ladies Auxiliary for your most generous gift of a bedside ultrasound. This piece of equipment is a vitally important tool used for the rapid diagnosis of serious internal injury, and for obtaining IV access when veins are not easily seen or felt. This technology is the standard of emergency care for injured patients, particularly in rural areas where there are no surgeons, radiologists, or CT machines.

There have been some questions about whether our new ultrasound in Gold River will eliminate the need to travel to Campbell River or Comox for booked ultrasounds, and the answer is no, because ultrasound exams booked at the hospital are done for an entirely different purpose. Hospital ultrasound exams provide detailed measurements of internal structures such as dimensions of a developing fetus, aneurysms, heart valves, blood clots, tumours, cysts, organs, muscles, etc., which helps physicians to offer early prenatal care to pregnant women, and to treat patients with chronic diseases such as heart disease or cancer.

Our ultrasound in Gold River will enable our doctors to determine, for example, whether an accident victim has a ruptured liver, or a punctured lung, or a broken bone – information that helps us determine the appropriate immediate care to stabilize and transport those with critical injuries. This machine has already been used this week in caring for ill and injured patients!

We are so grateful for your generosity, and for all you do to support our medical clinic.

With sincere thanks,

Dr. Kathy Durante