Friends of UHK’s €100k target for charity gala

THE Friends of University Hospital Kerry Annual Gala Benefit Night sponsored by Kerry Group will take place on Friday July 12 2019 at Tralee Greyhound Stadium.

This year marks the 29th Anniversary of the fundraising programme, which has raised in excess of €2 million since its inauguration in 1991.

The fundraising target for the 2019 event is €100,000 and the money raised will be used to buy essential equipment for the Coronary Care and Intensive Care Units at the hospital.

This year’s fundraising effort will be supported by soccer clubs across the Denny Kerry District League.

Over the years, funds raised have been used for the provision of essential equipment at the hospital, which delivers critical services to families throughout County Kerry, West Limerick and North Cork.

Tom McCormack, Consultant Surgeon, expressed his gratitude on behalf of the hospital to the Friends of University Hospital Kerry and to the people of the area for their generosity.

Following last year’s successful event, a “fast scanner” was purchased for the Emergency Department.

This is in regular use and has allowed rapid diagnosis of conditions in the chest and abdomen, saving time and improving treatment.

A state of the art Wound Scanner is now also in use in the out-patients department and around the hospital, accurately measuring wound size and detecting bacteria to help prevent infections .

The Endoscopy Unit also has a new live recording device which is used for training and capturing vital patient information that enables better collaboration with other hospitals when patients need to be referred.

At the launch of this year’s Gala Benefit Night, Tom McCormack, Consultant Surgeon, emphasised the important contribution that this annual fundraiser has made to the provision of services at University Hospital Kerry.

He thanked Liam Brassil, the Friends of University Hospital Kerry and Kerry Group for the significant level of fundraising over the last 28 years, without which, he said, the Hospital could not provide its current level of service.

Frank Hayes of Kerry Group said the Tralee based multinational food giant takes pride in being able to support UHK

“Kerry Group is proud to be to be the main sponsor of University Hospital Kerry’s Gala Fundraising Night which is an extremely worthy cause,” he said.

“Raising funds to buy much needed equipment, so that the hospital can continue to care for and support patients and families from the region is something we are delighted to support. We wish the organisers of this event every success in reaching this year’s target of €100,000,” said Mr Hayes,

Photo by Joe Hanley Members of the Friends of Univeristy Hospital Kerry at the launch of the benevolent group’s annual fundriasing gala to raise funds for the hospital.