Northumberland Hills Hospital receives $12,000 from Economical Insurance, and Newman, Oliver & McCarten Insurance Brokers

COBOURG, ON, Dec. 9, 2014 /CNW/ - Patients of Northumberland Hills Hospital will soon benefit from a $1.3 million investment in new cardiac care monitors and telemetry units in multiple departments and floors thanks, in part, to a $12,000 donation of which $10,000 is from Economical Insurance, one of Canada's leading home, auto and business insurance providers and $2,000 is from Newman, Oliver & McCarten Insurance Brokers Ltd.

The new equipment will be used in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Emergency Department (ED), Post -Acute Care Unit (PACU), and 2A and 2B medical floors at Northumberland Hills Hospital.

"We are pleased that our donation has helped purchase new cardiac monitors and telemetry units that will allow Northumberland Hills Hospital to continue providing critical care services with improved access, safer patient care, and the ability to respond to problems before they become medical crises," said Karen Gavan, Economical's president and chief executive officer.

"We are delighted to give back to the community with Economical Insurance, an insurance provider we have represented since 1895," said Calvin Newman, president of Newman, Oliver and McCarten. "This donation demonstrates our ongoing commitment to serving the people of Northumberland County."

The new cardiac monitoring system features 35 hard-wired bedside units that monitor a patient's heart rate, pulse oximetry, blood pressure, invasive blood pressure and respiratory rates. This equipment is considered essential for the basic care of ICU, ED, surgical patients and those requiring cardiac monitoring.

The telemetry units provide wireless monitoring and remote access capabilities. One of the main advantages of monitoring a patient in this way is that it allows the person to get up and move around, at least within the devices transmitting range. In many cases, this is highly preferable to having a patient confined to a bed so that the patient's heart activity can be observed.

"Every surgical patient that this hospital sees requires monitoring," said Rhonda Cunningham, Executive Director of the Northumberland Hills Hospital Foundation. "In particular, patients with cardiac issues or any type of heart history will be monitored using this technology, as well as patients with chest pains, high blood pressure, sleep apnea and bariatric patients."

"Our current monitors and telemetry units in the ICU and ED are aging and the parts to repair are becoming obsolete," added Cunningham. "With this new investment, the technological advancements that have been developed over the last ten years will now benefit Northumberland patients. It is imperative that our hospital is equipped with bed-side cardiac monitors. By replacing and expanding our cardiac monitors, we will be able to continue to provide our patients access to critical care services."

About Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH)
NHH delivers a broad range of acute, post-acute, outpatient and diagnostic services to patients in west Northumberland County, including emergency and intensive care, medical/surgical care and obstetrical care, restorative care, rehabilitation and palliative care. Mental health care, chemotherapy, dialysis and 16 other ambulatory care clinics are offered at NHH on an outpatient basis through partnerships with regional centres and nearby specialists. NHH offers a full range of diagnostic services, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT) and mammography.

About Economical Insurance
Founded in 1871, Economical Insurance is one of Canada's leading property and casualty insurers, with $2.0 billion in annual premium volume and $5.2 billion in assets as at September 30, 2014. Based in Waterloo, this Canadian-owned and operated group services the insurance needs of more than one million customers across the country. In 2010, Economical announced its decision to become the first federally-regulated mutual property and casualty insurance company to pursue demutualization. Economical Insurance conducts business under the following brands: Economical Insurance, Economical, Western General, Economical Select, Perth Insurance, Family Insurance Solutions, Federation Insurance and Economical Financial.

About Newman, Oliver & McCarten
Newman, Oliver & McCarten Insurance Brokers Ltd. began operations in 1871 serving the Hastings County and Quinte areas. Today, it provides general insurance coverage for consumers and businesses from ten convenient locations in Belleville, Campbellford, Colborne, Kingston, Madoc, Marmora, Ottawa, Pickering, Stirling and Trenton.

SOURCE: Economical Insurance

Doug Maybee, Economical Insurance, (T) 519.570.8249, (C) 519.404.0989, [email protected]; Heather Norris, Northumberland Hills Hospital Foundation, (T) 905.372.6811 ext. 3065, [email protected]