Dargaville Hospital Just Got More Comfortable

A Gold Star wish list first drawn up in 2007 by staff at Dargaville Hospital is slowly being ticked off thanks to donations from the community and substantial fundraising efforts from local service clubs.

The wish list contains items which are ‘above and beyond’ what the Northland DHB can provide for the Hospital. The most recent purchase from funds raised was four New Zealand made Romeo recliner chairs for patients and their families to use while staying at Dargaville Hospital.
Kaipara Community Health Trust chief executive Debbie Evans said that the Trust with support from Aratapu Hobson Trust, Northern Wairoa Lions, Ruawai Lions, Dargaville Rotary, Northland Community Foundation Health Fund PLUS and community donations, managed to raise over $6,000 to purchase the four recliners.

Debbie said she fully appreciates the hundreds of volunteer hours that these organisations invest in getting the funds together as well as the contributions from the community.

“People generously donated what they could at a collection held outside Countdown Dargaville and shared their own heartwarming stories about the great care they had received in our little hospital.”

She said the Kaipara Community Health Trust’s purpose was to retain and enhance quality health services for their community, and they continually work on how they can make what they have, better.

Dargaville Hospital operations manager, Jen Thomas said that all 80 staff have a great sense of pride in the Hospital and work hard to maintain services to the community which provides 24 hour emergency cover, ‘If you’re sick, this is the place to come.’

Jen acknowledged the support from far and wide with services such as the mobile surgical bus coming to perform minor surgery at a local level to save patients having to travel to Whangarei. She also explained how the use of Telehealth equipment meant they could manage complex patients with the assistance of ICU until the helicopter arrived.

Jen said without the ongoing support from their sponsors and the community they couldn’t do what they do. She thanked them from the bottom of her heart for not only providing the funds for the four recliners which will make a massive difference to families but also for contributing to many other fundraising projects they have been involved in.

Health Fund PLUS has been set up by Northland DHB and Northland Community Foundation to provide a way for people to give to the DHB by way of donations or endowments.

These donations or gifts enable us to get the ‘optional extras’ in equipment and services for the DHB that can make all the difference in providing the best quality healthcare possible.

Note that donations and gifts are never used as an alternative to Government funding.
Giving is easy. The first thing is to have people contact Northland Community Foundation to talk about their idea for a gift.

Call Northland Community Foundation 459 6327 or 021 558 224 at any time for all the information you need.

Some people give a regular donation, some give a one-off gift, some prefer to make provisions in their Will. The Northland Community Foundation will discuss all of these options.

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