Funds for maternity

Newborns and mothers will benefit from the generosity of Drouin Lions Club who have donated $24,000 to West Gippsland Hospital’s maternity unit.

The donation will enable the purchase of 10 new Neocots to replace all of the existing baby cots which are 30 years old.

The donation is from proceeds of the recent Garden Expo event organised and run by the Drouin Lions at Lardner Park combined with an $8,000 grant from the Australian Lions Foundation.

West Gippsland Healthcare Group (WGHG) chief executive Dan Weeks said the equipment was a significant addition to birthing services at the hospital

“The Drouin Lions helped us to replace two cots in our special care nursery last year as well as an additional neonatal resuscitaire for our birthing suites.

“This latest donation will mean that every baby born at West Gippsland Hospital will have access to a state of the art ergonomic cot that is light weight and easy to move around.”

Maternity nurse unit manager Wilma Wallace thanked the club members and all the volunteers who work tirelessly to support the community.

“To be able to replace all of our old cots is wonderful for our patients and our staff. While the old cots have stood up to years of use, many of them were in constant need of repair. We are extremely grateful for the Drouin Lions continued support of our maternity unit.

Lions president Erika Wassenberg said the club was thrilled to assist the maternity unit once again.

“The Garden Expo is our major annual fundraiser and we thank our volunteers and the community for supporting the event.

“Our club raises money through tickets sales and catering on the day so the people that support the event contribute to this donation in their own way.”