Dialysis Improvements
 A new Dialysis water treatment system was installed in the basement of the G&M Hospital in the spring freeing up much needed space in the Hospital's Dialysis Unit. Replacing a 10 year old system, the new water treatment system (costing $134,500) is state of the art, ensuring the purest, highest quality water for the G&M's dialysis patients.
Most exciting was our ability to install a sixth dialysis treatment station in the freed up space. The new station, coupled with more fully trained dialysis nurses has allowed more local patients to be repatriated from the Regional Dialysis Centre at Soldier's Memorial Hospital in Orillia. Today, 34 local residents can be dialyzed in their own community thanks to the generous support of our community.
Thanks to everyone who supported the Dialysis Water Treatment Campaign and to Wasaga Beach Lions Club, the Audrey & Don Campbell Foundation and Shirley Reid for funding these vital improvements to our Dialysis Unit!
Nuclear Medicine Camera
 When the G&M's nineteen year old nuclear medicine camera broke down beyond repair in May 2007, it was an easy decision to replace it immediately. "With over 100 patients scheduled for nuclear medicine scans in June alone, we just couldn't wait for the funds to pay for the machine, we had to go ahead and order it immediately," says G&M Chief of Radiology, Dr. Tim Richardson.
So the order was placed and your Hospital, once again, had to rely of the generosity of our community to pay the $285,000 bill.
Since its installation in June of last year, the G&M's new nuclear medicine camera has been in high demand for a wide variety of diagnostic procedures. Nuclear scans are most commonly used for bone scans which look for metabolic diseases that cannot be detected through conventional x-rays. This technology is also integral to the diagnosis of prostate and breast cancers as well as thyroid, gall bladder and liver disease.
Phil Watson, nuclear medicine technologist is thrilled by the new technology now available to his patients. "The process uses state of the art computer technology that people would have to travel to Barrie or Owen Sound for if we did not have this camera at the G&M." Watson adds, "It's faster and much more powerful!"
Thanks to this upgraded technology, 2,179 nuclear medicine scans were performed at the G&M in the last year.
Obstetrics Upgrades
 Last year 462 babies were delivered at the G&M Hospital and thanks to community support state of the art equipment and facilities were on hand to care for both mother and child.
At a cost of almost $25,000, a new obstetrics triage room was created at the G&M. Prior to its implementation, expectant mothers experiencing difficulty were triaged and evaluated in the Hospital Emergency Department. The new obstetrics triage room allows obstetrics patients to by-pass the Emergency Department and be assessed in a private, quiet setting by experienced obstetrics nurses.
Stabilization of a baby after delivery is paramount to the long term health of a child. Our new infant resuscitation warmer (costing $25,000) now allows the delivery team to access state of the art technology for complicated deliveries such as multiple births or caesarean sections which must take place in the operating room. Replacing a ten year old unit, this unit provides warmth, oxygen and a variety of other necessities to ensure babies get the best possible start to life.
In ICU, Patient Comfort is Paramount
 A generous donor ensured that patients confined to ICU beds are as comfortable as possible by funding specialized "air" mattresses for the unit. At a cost of $17,500 these "high tech" mattresses are designed to ensure that patients rest comfortably and that they do not develop bed sores. Two similar specialty mattresses have also been donated to the Medical Unit for the use of palliative care patients.
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