RBC partners local hospital in fund-raising for cardiac treatment machines

by GEORGE KAGAME

Rouge Valley Hospital’s Cardiac Care Program is set to be boosted by a fund-raising campaign from Royal Bank of Canada dubbed ‘Gift from the Heart to save a Heart’ starting April 16 to 14th June 2009.

RBC announced in a press release dated 15th April that their branches in Scarborough, Ajax and Pickering will be fund-rasing for three Electrocardiogram-ECG- machines for Rouge Valley Health System’s cardiac program.
RBC clients will donate to the campaign after getting the raffle tickets with many prizes stationed at RBC branches in Scarborough, Pickering and Ajax. The tickets will also include a financial services banking appeal.

According to Lisa Gallagher RBC’s regional Vice President for Scarborough, Pickering and Ajax said that campaign was part of the bank’s health care promotion programs; “As a dedicated supporter of local health and wellness causes, we are pleased to partner with the Rouge Valley Health System-a world class health care centre right in our backyard. We know a healthy community is a strong community,” She added that the campaign is about keeping RVHS at the forefront of acute service by ensuring that leading-edge diagnostic tools are available to all members of the community.

An Electrocardiogram is the most commonly performed cardiac test, it is a valuable screening tool for heart disease related treatment tool and mostly diagnoses lethal arrhythmia. The machines are used on many patients in the hospital’s cardiac diagnostic service and only every patient over 50 years that is admitted for elective surgery.

In an earlier interview Dr. Paul Galiwango a cardiologist at RVHS stated that heart related complications the hospital receives are representative of the general situation across the country; “a large number of patients we receive here have heart related problems. The most common problem we deal with here is heart failure especially coronary artery symptoms.”

Sonia Peczeniuk, Vice President of medical affairs and clinical support at Rouge Valley Hospital said that the hospital is known for its history of leadership in cardiology and ethnically diverse patient population. RVHS is an excellent acute care community hospital and is known as one of the best in regard to cardiac computed tomography (CT0 and a strong intervention al cardiology and electrophysiology.