PICTON, February 9, 2024 - Difficult intravenous (IV) starts are becoming a thing of the past for patients at Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital, thanks to a new vein finder that helps staff locate a patient’s veins quickly and non-invasively.

A vein finder is a hand-held medical device that uses infrared light to locate a patient’s veins beneath the skin. Healthcare providers often use it to help them locate veins for IVs, injections, blood draws, and other treatments. Vein finders make the process faster and more efficient for the patient and the health care provider, thus delivering higher quality care.

The Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation (PECMHF) is raising over $690,000.00 for medical equipment by March 31, 2024. Of that, $9,889.00 was designated for a vein finder for the Emergency Department at PECMH.

Tom McCaw, first vice president of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 78 in Picton and Diane Denyes-Wenn, president of the Ladies Auxiliary, presented members of the hospital foundation with a gift of $9,889.00 on February 9. The funds were awarded through a grant from the Royal Canadian Legion Ontario Provincial Command Branches and Ladies Auxiliaries Charitable Foundation.

The Legion’s grant funds the purchase of this vital piece of equipment.

“Patient IV insertions are a widespread procedure during a patient’s hospital care. The vein finder allows for the visualization of the location and quality of the vein, resulting in increased accuracy when starting an IV. The vein finder will assist with timelier IV insertions, more timely medication administration and ultimately, an improved patient experience,” said Lisa Mowbray, patient services manager and site lead at PECMH.

Practitioners who are relatively new to phlebotomy will have more confidence and success with collecting blood from a vein utilizing a vein finder. This gives them a jump start in gaining experience. Having the vein finder light up the blood vessels visually will also make patients feel more comfortable, as they will be sure the practitioner won’t struggle to get a good stick.

Vein finders are often used on patients with edema (swelling), rolling veins, the elderly, children and other individuals with veins that are hard to see.

“We are especially grateful to the Royal Canadian Legion Ontario Provincial Command Branches and Ladies Auxiliaries Charitable Foundation for this gift to help us buy this vein finder to help aid in patient diagnosis and treatment,” said Shannon Coull, executive director of the PECMH Foundation. “It’s vital for our community to continue to ensure our County hospital is equipped with the latest devices to keep our patients healthy. We are also proud to announce with this gift, Ontario Command’s cumulative giving total to our hospital over the past 18 years has surpassed $88,500.”

Philanthropic support has always been at the heart of our County hospital. The foundation is responsible for funding all the medical equipment needed to care for patients.

“Our mission is to advance health care to our patients, and it is only through the support of our community that we can help ensure veterans receive the care they need and are treated with the respect they have earned,” said Barbara McConnell, chairperson of the PECMHF. “Over the years, our four local Legion branches, Picton, Wellington, Consecon and Deseronto, have contributed to excellent care at PECMH. We are pleased to know their contributions, and this one from Provincial Command is helping ensure the best care for veterans but for everyone in Prince Edward County.”

“The Legion provides financial assistance and support to veterans, including Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP, and their families in need,” said McCaw. “We are thankful to everyone who supports the fundraising endeavours the Legions undertake. Because of you, we can help veterans living in this community and patients at the hospital have access to modern medical equipment.”

“Community support is important because the government does not fund medical equipment. The foundation's responsibility, through the generosity of our donors, organizations, and community partners, like the Royal Canadian Legion, is to meet our obligation to purchase vital medical equipment across our region. This helps to ensure our hospitals’ Care Champions can continue to deliver great care close to home,” said Coull.

The Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation is a charitable organization dedicated to raising funds to advance health care for the people of Prince Edward County and patients of the hospital. 

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Pictured in front of PECMH with the vein finder from left: Briar Boyce, senior development officer with the PECMHF; Lisa Mowbray, patient services manager and site lead at PECMH; Diane Denyes-Wenn, president of Branch 78 Ladies Auxiliary; Ann Galvin, a director of the PECMHF board; Tom McCaw, first vice president and poppy chairperson with Branch 78; and Shannon Coull, executive director of the PECMH Foundation.