The Impact of our Circle of Life – Inner Circle Members
Our Circle of Life Inner Circle members play a vital role in helping to transform healthcare at Guelph General Hospital. Since 2013, this group of individuals has pooled their funds to support important hospital projects every year. Members contribute to a collective fund throughout the calendar year and then have the chance to vote on what project, presented by hospital staff, they would like to support at year end.
In December of 2023 our Inner Circle members decided to support the purchase of two new hematology analyzers for the laboratory at Guelph General. Hematology analyzers rapidly and accurately perform white cell, red cell and platelet counts. They also differentiate the various types of white cells counted. The new cell counters will replace older analyzers that are at the end of their usable life and that rely on outdated technology. Blood cell counts are critical for assessing patients and guiding treatment for a wide variety of conditions including: cancer, trauma patients who are acutely bleeding, chronic anemia, low platelet (thrombocytopenia), active infections (including sepsis), diagnosing and monitoring patients with leukemia and patients receiving chemotherapy for other cancers.
As the lab at Guelph General performs roughly 68,000 cell counts a year using these machines, the giving collective’s 2023 contribution will be impacting tens of thousands of people in our community over the years to come. These new hematology analyzers will have updated technology that better enables them to provide faster, more accurate, and more reliable test results with less manual intervention. The introduction of these new machines will help support the broader automation of lab processes, help reduce turnaround time for loved ones waiting on sensitive results, and aid clinicians with making the correct diagnosis.
Additional past projects that the Inner Circle has supported include the following:
- 2022: 2 new ultrasound machines for Diagnostic Imaging
- 2021: A facture table and hip and knee replacement instruments for various operating rooms
- 2020: 5 portable ultrasound machines for various departments
- 2019: 8 ventilators for the Bob Ireland Family Intensive Care Unit
- 2018: 58 dedicated bedside vital signs monitors for the entire hospital
- 2017: A 3D-enabled digital mammography machine for Diagnostic Imaging
- 2016: A Rapid Infection Identification System (MALDI-TOF) for the Laboratory
We are so grateful for the continued support our Circle of Life – Inner Circle members provide to the hospital. Thank you!
If you are interested in joining these champions of change for Guelph General, please reach out to Deanne Leblanc by either email or telephone at [email protected] or 519-837-6440 ext. 2007.
