During the unprecedented times of COVID-19, Bluewater Health Foundation is committed to continuing its important work of strengthening healthcare in the Sarnia-Lambton community, now more than ever.

We are fortunate to live in a province where government funding supports the operations and administration of hospitals. However, it is donations and community investment that fund critical equipment purchases, replacements and upgrades throughout Bluewater Health. A new laboratory at Bluewater Health costs $2.5 million.

The clinical laboratory at Bluewater Health plays a vital role across the entire continuum of healthcare. 70% of healthcare decisions made by physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals are based on diagnostic results from the lab. These results provide important information needed for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of disease for intensive care, cancer, surgical and dialysis patients and new moms and babies.

JUST HOW IMPORTANT IS THE LABORATORY AT BLUEWATER HEALTH?

It supports oncologists in deciding if you are able to have chemotherapy that week.

It supports surgeons in deciding if your blood is clotting well enough for surgery and if you will need a blood transfusion following.

It helps emergency physicians decide if you need a blood transfusion, are having a heart attack or are experiencing appendicitis.

It determines if your medications are working effectively.

It delivers COVID-19 results to clinicians.

The lab at Bluewater Health was installed over 10 years ago. As the equipment in the lab ages, necessary repairs have become more frequent, which slows down the delivery of results required for decisions to be made in the development of treatment plans with patients.

Several key pieces of equipment need to be upgraded or replaced which involves an overall reorganization of the space to optimize the flow of the lab. Considerable advancements in technology have been made over the past 10 years. An investment in this new technology will increase the labs capacity to produce accurate and thorough results in a more timely fashion.

Recognizing the significance of the lab redevelopment project, a generous donor has come forward with an offer to match up to $10,000 of donations from the community. This means that a $50 donation from you in response to this request actually means a $100 donation to the project! With your help, we can strengthen healthcare in our community.