By Royal Purple

Royal Purple National President Tours Victoria Regional Hospital’s Dialysis Unit

Mar 10, 2011 | 4:44 PM

PHOTO: Left to right  Lynda Nolan, Supreme Honoured Royal Lady & National President, Royal Purple Canada, Elaine Perkins, Honoured Royal Lady, Prince Albert Lodge #50, Paul Nolan and Sharon Griffin, Director of Nursing listen as Shawn Phaneuf, Nurse Unit Manager, Dialysis/Chemotherapy provides details about the history and current of use in the Victoria Regional Hospital’s Dialysis Unit.  

Royal Purple & Elks have been Significant Supporters

The Elks and Royal Purple through their generous donations have facilitated the purchase of fourteen dialysis machines for the Victoria Regional Hospital’s Renal Dialysis Unit totaling over $400,000.00 since the project began in 1987.

The Elks and Royal Purple became interested in the Dialysis Project in 1987 when a friend of a Weldon Elks member in need of Dialysis was required to travel to Saskatoon for treatment.  Further investigation revealed there were a large number of people facing this same issue.  The Elks District Deputy of the day Frank Sudol, Royal Purple member Donna Backstrom and the then

director of the Victoria Hospital, David Fan lobbied Saskatchewan Health for the establishment of a Dialysis Unit in Prince Albert and convinced them that this was feasible as a satellite unit of the St. Paul’s Hospital.  Saskatchewan Health agreed they would provide the funding for training and staff to operate the unit.  The Elks immediately made the commitment that all Capital Costs including the purchase of dialysis machines and the continued operation of the unit would be funded by the Elks and Royal Purple.

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The Elks of the Elks District No. 2 and Royal Purple Lodges of Royal Purple District No. 4 which includes the communities of Big River, Canwood, La Ronge, Paddockwood, Prince Albert, Shellbrook and Weldon made a commitment that they would assist in fund raising by working Bingos and undertake other projects to provide the hardware for Dialysis Treatment in Prince Albert.  All Elks and Royal Purple Lodges within close proximity of Prince Albert agreed that they would travel to Prince Albert to work monthly Bingos at Carnival Bingo. The La Ronge Elks agreed that they would raise funds in their community due to the long distance that they would have to travel to Prince Albert.  The project has also received in excess of $20,000.00 from the La Ronge Elks and Royal Purple and a generous gift of $10,000.00 from the Northern Bingo Alliance (the Charities of Carnival Bingo).  The fund has received a number of bequests from the estates of former patients of dialysis treatment.

The Renal Dialysis Unit opened at the Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert in June of 1989 with one nurse, 2 patients and support staff operating 3 days a week.  The Unit currently serves 24 people per day working six days a week with 144 procedures a week.  The unit requires updates and replacement machines to continue to provide service as these machines do wear out and also require “back up” units while equipment is being serviced.

The Order of the Royal Purple Lodges continues to support the Victoria Hospital Foundation with their generous donations.  In 2001, two beds were purchased for the bed campaign.

7 TV’s and VCR’s were donated for pediatrics.  6 TV’s, DVD’s & Stands were purchased for the maternity ward.  Funds are being raised for the Herb Bassett Home.  The Royal Purple has also made significant donations to the Victoria Hospital Foundation’s Annual Give a Little Life Day Radio-A-Thons.