PORT ANGELES — The Olympic Medical Center Foundation has presented a $155,000 donation to Olympic Medical Center.
The money given Wednesday at the hospital commission meeting is earmarked for the purchase of a cardiovascular ultrasound machine for the OMC Heart Center, COVID-19 biofire testing equipment and for a new palliative service at the Cancer Center, foundation president Bruce Skinner said.
The new machine for OMC’s Heart Center will perform echocardiograms to evaluate the structures of the heart and the direction of blood flow with in it.
Coupled with donations from First Federal, funds provided for the biofire equipment provide for another source of testing for COVID testing equipment and other illnesses such as influenza A/B and other respiratory and gastrointestinal maladies.
The Cancer Center will use some of the funds to offer palliative care, a specialized service focused on relief from symptoms and stress of the illness and treatment with the goal of improving and sustaining quality of life for the patient, loved ones and other care companions.
The care is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness and can be provided along with active treatment, Skinner noted.
Skinner also said that the foundation has now given $645,000 to, or on behalf of, OMC as a result of 2020 fundraising activities.
“The community was very generous,” Skinner said. “Despite COVID, we had one of our best fundraising years, even though four of our six events were held virtually, and another was canceled.”
Those interested in more information or in making a donation to the foundation can call the OMC Foundation office at 360-417-7144, email to bruce@omhf.org, or by mail donations to: OMC Foundation, 1015 Georgiana St., Port Angeles WA 98362.
“We hope that many local people will become a part of our fundraising efforts,” OMC Foundation president Sherry Philips said.