Kent & Essex Mutual Insurance has donated $50,000 to the Four Counties Health Services Foundation, completing its $165,000 campaign for a new mobile X-ray machine.
The new portable X-ray unit will replace a machine originally purchased in 2015. By bringing high-resolution digital imaging directly to the bedside, it will help physicians assess patients who are too ill or injured to be safely moved, reducing physical stress for patients and supporting timely treatment decisions.
“K&E is proud to support a project that will make a meaningful difference for patients and care teams in our community,” said Kevin Konecny, president and CEO of Kent & Essex Mutual Insurance. “Access to quality local health care matters to us and the people and families we serve. We are grateful for the opportunity to help Four Counties Health Services complete this campaign and invest in equipment that will support compassionate, timely care when it is needed most.”
The new system offers flexible positioning and instant, high-quality images, and is designed for manoeuvrability in tight spaces. It will support both routine and emergency care at Four Counties Health Services, where the Diagnostic Imaging Department is staffed seven days a week and completes approximately 200 portable X-ray exams each year. Senior Digital Imaging Technologist Jeff Fraser said the unit will also provide back-up capacity for the hospital’s single X-ray room, essentially serving as a “room on wheels.”
Krista Shea, vice president of clinical services and chief nursing officer at Four Counties Health Services, said the equipment plays a vital role in patient care.
“This equipment is essential to our daily operations and plays a vital role in ensuring the timely and accurate assessment of our patients,” Shea said. “A portable X-ray machine is particularly valuable for patients who cannot be safely mobilized due to traumatic injuries, as well as those who are bedbound due to illness and unable to travel to the X-ray department.”
“K&E’s support will have a meaningful and lasting impact on the quality and accessibility of care we are able to provide to patients. We are truly grateful for their generosity and commitment to supporting FCHS and our community,” Shea added.
With the fundraising goal complete, the foundation says it will turn its attention to other priority equipment needs. Representatives from Kent & Essex Mutual Insurance, the Four Counties Health Services Foundation and Four Counties Health Services gathered at the hospital in Newbury to mark the donation.
More information about the Four Counties Health Foundation is available at fchsfoundation.ca.
