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Abbotsford Hospital auxiliary donates biomedical freezer to forensic nursing

Donation, valued at over $14,000, preserves medical evidence
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Auxiliary president Margaret Gardiner and member Joan Pike were on hand to show off the new biomedical freezer for the forensic nursing service at Abbotsford Regional Hospital. (Submitted photo)

The auxiliary to Abbotsford Regional Hospital recently donated a biomedical freezer, valued at just over $14,000, to the forensic nursing unit at Abbotsford Regional Hospital (ARH).

Forensic nursing – based in the emergency department at ARH – responds to crime, violence and trauma.

The unit has provided on-call care and evidence collection since 1999.

The collected evidence must be stored under specific conditions to ensure optimum results when they are sent for testing at the RCMP forensics laboratory. The evidence is kept in a biomedical freezer until such time.

But the forensic nursing service was in need of a replacement freezer, and that’s where the auxiliary stepped in to help.

The auxiliary provides services within the hospital, fundraises for much-need patient-care equipment and provides sponsorship of patient programs.

Susan Short, coordinator of forensic nursing at ARH, shared her team’s appreciation for the support.

The donation was made through the Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation, which raises funds for equipment and programs at hospitals in Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack, Hope, Agassiz and Harrison Hot Springs.

Visit fvhcf.ca or call 1-877-661-0314 for more information.

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