Auxiliary purchases new fluid warmer for WMC

The Wrangell Medical Center just got a little warmer.

As part of the hospital's ongoing pursuit of a Level IV Trauma Center certification, which officials say could both enhance treatment and open up new avenues of funding, the Hospital Auxiliary recently purchased a fluid warmer. The new warmer – which cost about $4,000 according to a press release – is used to treat patients suffering from hypothermia in the emergency room. The auxiliary contributed $3,500 toward the machine's cost. Officials installed the fluid warmer about three weeks ago, said Kris Reed, who is active in the auxiliary.

The new warmer provides better service than the older model it replaces because, instead of warming an individual bag, multiple bags of fluid can be stored in the warmer ahead of time and removed and dispensed as needed, said volunteer nursing coordinator Laura Salard.

"There is no longer the delay of having to set up the fluid-warming system when a patient in need of IV fluids comes into the Emergency Room," she said, in a hospital press release. "We can just pull the bag out of the warmer and start the IV. It saves critical time when treating a person in shock or suffering from hypothermia."

The auxiliary often donates equipment to the hospital based on presentations by various departments, Reed said.

"If there's a need in the building, somebody from that department will speak and give a written proposal," she said. "I don't know that we've turned one down other than it was too big to handle."

The auxiliary has about 30 members and a core of eight more active members, Reed said.

The auxiliary routinely holds fundraising events throughout the year to raise money for necessary or proposed equipment purchases, most recently the Chocolate Lovers' Festival held in the Medical Center lobby as part of Tent City Days. The group will hold a plant sale in the spring.