From list, to ball hockey, to reality - how the Foundation aquires equipment

There is a process in place between the hospital and the Foundation for quantifying equipment needs.  A medical advisory team consisting of doctors, senior clinical staff, purchasing staff and the hospital CEO create and review any equipment needs register monthly (the Capital List). Items on the list represent either urgent or emerging needs.
The capital list is the West Parry Sound Health Centre Foundation’s gold standard of need and each January the Foundation commits to items to be bought in the upcoming year by money received from donors. With no money from the government to buy major equipment, this is an important process for the hospital and ultimately, for our community.
In 2010, Mike Blenkarn from Pointe au Baril spoke to me about raising money locally for the important cause of prostate cancer. When a generous soul is keen to give money to a certain department or service in the hospital, the first thing we do is check our capital list for equipment to suit the cause.
When Mike brought the local prostate cause to my attention, the capital list registered the need for five flexible cystoscopes. They had been on the list for several years. Because of so many other pressing fundraising needs, we had not raised the money to buy the equipment.
The Foundation was literally lurching from one emergency equipment replacement in the hospital to another – items like our digital mammography unit, the c-Arm for surgery, the anesthetic machines, the lab’s tissue processor, the stress test machine in cardiac services.  
The emergencies seemed endless thankfully donors were generous.  
In the midst of all the ‘big equipment purchases’, Mike managed to get the flexible cystoscopes off the capital list and onto my radar! Our delay in joining Mike to fundraise for the flexible cystoscopes did not deter him. Since 2010 Mike has donated $950 towards the scopes. Now finally, in 2013 the Foundation is joining Mike in a big way in the local fight against diseases of the prostrate and bladder.
When we heard the local chapter of the Arthritis Society was giving up their annual ball hockey tournament, we quickly jumped in to host the event.
After nine years, the organizing team was unbelievably generous in providing all the details, contacts and information to our event chair and Foundation board member, Tom Shultz. As Tom was learning the ropes from the Maddefords and their amazing team, in the Foundation office we were projecting buying two of the five needed cystoscopes by adding the estimated proceeds to money Mike had already donated.  
Simultaneously, organizers of the Adult Ball Hockey Weekend began working to create a tourism event, drawing participants from near and far to make it a complete ball hockey weekend in Parry Sound.
It’s a great story, with a great cause. We hope all sorts of players have a terrific time. And we thank everyone – from the former ball hockey committee who have been so gracious in helping us –Donna and John Maddeford, Kathy Thornton, Liz Hugli, Pearl Yauk, Maureen Hakenberg, Randy Johnson and Mike Visentin  – to all participants who compete on April 27.  
You have joined Mike Blenkarn in a terrific local fight against diseases of the bladder and prostate.