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Haisla hospital donation details released

Donation for Kitimat General and Mills Memorial made in March 2020
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Kitimat General Hospital, above, and Mills Memorial Hospital have benefitted from a Haisla Nation donation. (File photo)

It’s taken more than a year and a half, but Northern Health has now released a list of equipment purchased with $300,000 given to it by the Haisla Nation in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nine pieces of equipment were purchased for Kitimat General Hospital and Mills Memorial Hospital to respond to what Northern Health officials called “urgent equipment needs” to deal with people hospitalized because of the pandemic.

“This wonderful gesture will leave a lasting impact long after the pandemic is behind us,” said Northern Health chair Colleen Nyce in a release.

“We felt the responsibility to be a part of the solutions and do what we could to ensure our local health services were ready for what the pandemic may bring, which is why we were happy to provide this donation,” added Crystal Smith, Haisla Nation president.

The $300,000 commitment was first announced March 26, 2020 with the money to flow through the Kitimat General Hospital Foundation to Northern Health.

At first the money was to be used to buy equipment just for Kitimat General but the effort was expanded to include Mills Memorial.

There was no immediate indication from Northern Health as to why it took so long to release details of what was purchased.

The money bought a butterfly handheld ultrasound for Mills, one each CO2 monitor for Kitimat General and Mills, one each defibrillator for Kitimat General and Mills, one each laryngoscope, ventilator and vital signs monitor for Kitimat General and Mills and one monitor for Mills.

Aside from meeting pandemic treatment related equipment needs, the donation provided the full amount need for an ultrasound machine at Kitimat General.