December, a month for giving!

December was a busy month for the Brome-Missisquoi-Perkins Hospital Foundation! We held three different events in the space of two weeks and now, a few weeks away from Christmas, we are pleased to be able to announce the results of all three activities combined. Once again, participants were generous and enabled the BMP Foundation to continue to support health care in Brome-Missisquoi. Thanks to them, December’s fundraising activities raised more than $52,000 in profits! THANK YOU to all donors and participants!

Doctors with a heart and an ultrasound machine on their hands

On December 2nd, 3rd and 4th, the Brome-Missisquoi-Perkins Hospital Foundation held its first-ever training session for physicians. Under the direction of BMP Hospital Emergency Physician, Dr. Jean-Philippe Garant, physicians had access to intensive ultrasound training in the Emergency Department. With 25 physicians enrolled and over 100 volunteers, this fundraising training event raised money for the BMP Foundation while improving the health care offered in the BMP Hospital Emergency Department! A heartfelt thank you to the initiator of this event, Dr. Garant, as well as to all the trainers, participants, numerous volunteers and Michel Thibodeau of the Domaine de l’Artisan for hosting us.

Sonia, 34 years old, was one of the volunteers on Sunday: “I had a very good experience as a volunteer. It was very interesting to see doctors in action, to see them study anatomy and discover what they are looking for in terms of anomalies in various organs or systems. And it’s obviously very interesting to see your own organs on screen while participating! Thank you, it was a pleasure for me!”

An important mobilization

With this intensive ultrasound training in the Emergency Department, the physicians had the opportunity to continue their continuing education and to obtain accreditation according to the highest Canadian standards. This training is a key element in allowing our local doctors to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of patients, particularly in trauma.

In order to obtain this accreditation, the three days of training required the mobilization of exactly 120 volunteers! These volunteers gave their time by acting as patient role models for the physicians in training. The BMP Foundation wishes to acknowledge this important collective effort! Thank you to all our patients for a day of literally lending their bodies to science and health care in Brome-Missisquoi!

Training for nurses too!

On Thursday, December 1st, the BMP Foundation also organized a training session for BMP Hospital nurses, the Echoguided Peripheral Venous Access (EPVA) course. With this training, participants learned how to puncture upper extremity vessels, as well as saphenous veins, under ultrasound guidance.

The use of this route under direct visualization saves time in urgent situations where a central route is not really indicated and therefore offers an improvement in management. This technique also improves the quality of care by avoiding unnecessary suffering for the patient by reducing the number of ineffective attempts.

A virtuoso doctor

On Sunday, December 4th, Dr. Mathieu Gaudet, emergency physician and passionate pianist, performed at a concert dedicated to the work of composer Franz Schubert at Theatre Lac-Brome. Classical music lovers were in attendance, as evidenced by the fact that the concert hall was sold out on this Sunday afternoon. The participants were happy to be able to enjoy a concert by Mathieu Gaudet who, in addition to his medical career, has been pursuing a remarkable career as a soloist, chamber musician and conductor for the past twenty years. Thank you to all who attended and to Dr. Gaudet for performing this concert in support of the BMP Foundation.

Gifts and Dinner in Support of the BMP Foundation

On Saturday, December 10th, over 150 Holiday Festins were distributed at the Domaine de l’Artisan drive-through! We would like to thank the participants who were able to enjoy the holiday season while supporting their Foundation! The Holiday Auction ended on Monday, December 12th at 1:00 pm. 46 participants bid until the last minute to obtain the coveted prizes. The winners can now check off their Christmas gifts on their to-do list before the holidays! Thank you to all the auction collaborators and Michel Thibodeau for organizing a tailor-made holiday event!