Riders to fund new x-ray suite
Gravel grinder one of five routes for Sept. 15 ride
A BEL Rotary Club fundraiser next month is raising money to help fund a new x-ray suite at the city hospital.
The Bridgenorth-Ennismore-Lakefield (BEL) Rotary Bike for Your Hospital is happening Sept. 15.
It’s raising money to support one of two new trauma x-ray suites for Peterborough Regional Health Centre’s emergency department.
The annual fundraiser launched three years ago as Bike for Hospice. Now that Hospice Peterborough’s campaign for its new care centre is winding down, BEL club members selected a new benefactor.
The club wanted to choose a cause that benefits everyone, so PRHC was a smart fit.
“Regardless of age or demographic, at some point are going to need the services of hospital,” said Mike Richardson, BEL club member.
Details of BEL Rotary Bike for Your Hospital were released Tuesday at Subaru Peterborough, which is sponsoring the event.
There are five cycle routes to choose from: 25, 45, 70, 78 or 106 kilometres. The 25 and 45 km are supported routes, with a car that follows behind, for example, and the others aren’t.
Cyclists will strike out from Isabel Morris Park and ride through Selwyn and Douro-Dummer Townships, depending on route length.
The 70-km stretch is a “gravel grinder” which is strictly on back roads, on soft gravel. The others have been designed for as little interaction with cars, too.
Participants can sign up on their own or as part of a team. The event is all ages, but anyone under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is $65 for adults until Sept. 1 – then it goes up to $75 – and $40 for those under 18. Participants are also encouraged to raise a minimum of $100 to support the cause.
Lesley Heighway, president and CEO of the PRHC Foundation, which fundraises for the hospital, said each year hospital officials review PRHC’s needs to determine what’s needed most.
The hospital has five x-ray suites, two of which are in the emergency department. The equipment is a decade old now though and there’s new technology that makes the process easier.
The two new suites will have updated equipment that include wireless detectors. The detector goes to the patient, instead of the patient moving for an x-ray.
“When you’re in a significant amount of pain, it’s a really big bonus,” Heighway said.
Less movement also means clearer images and faster results, she added.
Both suites will cost a little more than $1 million. So far, the foundation has raised nearly enough to cover one suite.
Funds raised at BEL Rotary Bike for Your Hospital will go toward the second suite.
NOTE: Registration is now open at www.bikeforyourshosptial.com For more information, visit BEL’s Facebook page, BEL Rotary Bike for Your Hospital, or email foundationeventsonline@prhc.on.ca