For Immediate Release
PCH Foundation Launches Vital Signs 2025
Summerside, PEI To continue delivering quality care to all Islanders, the Prince County Hospital requires new and replacement medical equipment and technology annually. Through the 2025 Vital Signs appeal, the PCH Foundation will need the help of Island communities to raise $2,672,425 to meet this need.
This is one of the largest annual campaign goals in Foundation history, with $637,800 dedicated to Diagnostic Imaging (DI) equipment alone. Community support will help replace outdated technology in DI’s dual-purpose X-Ray Room 2, used for both Fluoroscopy and general X-ray. Fluoroscopy provides real-time moving X-ray images and is vital for over 400 annual swallow studies and fertility tests. In addition to these dynamic studies, this technology is used for general radiology (X-ray) exams, making it one of the most versatile pieces of DI equipment at the hospital.
The Fluoroscopy equipment being introduced in 2025 will significantly improve image quality. According to Colleen Nicholson, Coordinator of General Radiation at PCH, the new equipment will provide higher-definition images with a lower radiation dose for patients. Colleen says of the current Fluoroscopy equipment, “…it’s like your computer. After 10 years, you notice that it’s lagging and slower to respond. It still works, but we have had some service issues with this room.”
Though a major factor in the campaign, DI only represents a portion of the medical equipment on this year’s list. From highly technical equipment like the bedside ultrasounds needed in PCU/ICU and Emergency to the essential beds needed in various departments, each item on the greatest needs list is vital to care at PCH.
The annual Vital Signs mail appeal for PCH is in mailboxes now. Visit pchcare.com to give securely, view a more comprehensive list of greatest needs, and hear more about Fluoroscopy. Contributions are also gratefully accepted by phone at (902) 432-2547 or in the Foundation office in the PCH lobby.
Photo 1 (X-Ray): Technologist Hilary Bulger is set up for a standard digital radiograph (X-ray) on the current Fluoroscopy/X-Ray machine by Coordinator of General Radiation, Colleen Nicholson, right.
