Improved trauma care the goal of fundraising polo match

MUHC Trauma Nurse Manager Anne Thomas and members of the Trauma committee of the MUHC Montreal General Hospital emergency department will be hosting a polo match at Hudson Polo Parc Farms on August 19, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

"MUHC trauma nurses have taken on this project to raise funds for the continuing education of our staff and to purchase much-needed equipment for the emergency department," explains Thomas.

"Our goal is to have all the nursing staff in the emergency department certified in several essential courses: the Trauma Nursing Core Course, Advanced Cardiac Life Support and, for the more senior nurses, Advanced Trauma Life Support," says Thomas. Most of these courses are only provided outside the province of Quebec. "Our nurses attend these courses on their off-duty days, and should be supported to pay for the course fees," says Thomas. "We are asking for the community's help to raise funds for the continuing education of our devoted and committed staff."

The MUHC trauma staff also hope to raise enough funds to purchase essential emergency room equipment, such as fetal heart monitors, ECG machines and bladder scanners. Thomas would also like to see the nurses become instructors. She emphasizes, "Our goal is to become one of the leaders in trauma nursing and help educate nurses in other centres of the province."

Trauma is the leading cause of death in North America. The MUHC's Montreal General Hospital is a Level 1 trauma centre situated in downtown Montreal. On average, the MUHC sees approximately 9,240 trauma patients per year and this number is continually increasing.

This fundraising event will be held on August 19, 2006, at the Hudson Polo Parc Farms, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Food and drinks will be served and you will be privileged to see two polo matches. The cost will be $300 per individual or $3,000 per table, which seats ten individuals.

DIRECTIONS:
-Highway 40 west to Ottawa-Toronto cut-off
-Take highway 40 towards Ottawa
-Exit at exit 17 (Montée Lavigne)
-Turn left at stop and go straight for approximately 4 km
-Turn right on Chemin Park
-Second driveway on left is Polo Parc Farms

The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is a comprehensive academic health institution with an international reputation for excellence in clinical programs, research and teaching. The MUHC is a merger of five teaching hospitals affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University — the Montreal Children's, Montreal General, Royal Victoria, and Montreal Neurological Hospitals, as well as the Montreal Chest Institute. Building on the tradition of medical leadership of the founding hospitals, the goal of the MUHC is to provide patient care based on the most advanced knowledge in the health care field, and to contribute to the development of new knowledge. www.muhc.ca