The Kinsmen Telemiracle Foundation on Ocotber 1, 2009, announced a $1.25 million donation to the Hospitals of Regina Foundation to establish an Electrophysiology (EP) Lab in the Mosaic Heart Centre located at the Regina General Hospital. The Kinsmen Telemiracle Foundation Electrophysiology Lab will fulfill an urgent need to provide electrophysiology services to the people of southern Saskatchewan.
“Thanks to the many donations received at Telemiracle, the Kinsmen Foundation is able to continue making miracles for the people of Saskatchewan and their families," says Charlene Duckworth, Board Chair of the Kinsmen Foundation. “We are thrilled to be able to make a donation of $1.25 million to complete this final and important phase of the Mosaic Heart Centre.”
Electrophysiology deals with problems related to the electrical activity of the heart. The new EP Lab will diagnose and treat abnormal heart rhythms, otherwise known as “arrhythmias,” which are life-threatening. Last year, approximately 700 patients were admitted to the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region (RQHR) for atrial fibrillation, the most common type of arrhythmia.
Currently, Regina does not have an EP program or an EP specialist, so patients in southern Saskatchewan who require diagnosis and treatment for arrhythmias are often given lifelong medication, which is insufficient treatment, or they are sent out of province for EP services.
Judy Davis, CEO, HRF, says “This is an extraordinary gift from the Kinsmen. We couldn’t be more grateful. It was the 2006 major gift from The Mosaic Company in support of cardiac services that established the Mosaic Heart Centre. The facility has excelled as a leader in its field and the addition of an EP Lab will bring the Mosaic Heart Centre full circle. The Kinsmen Foundation and their supporters should be proud that their gift will impact so many people across southern Saskatchewan.”
Dr. George Garbe, Section Head of Cardiology for RQHR, says, “Heart rhythm abnormalities are a major cause of death and disability in heart patients. The development of an EP Lab in Regina will help us to recruit highly trained sub specialists in this field who will be instrumental in the management of these patients. The lab will provide an environment for the prompt provision of state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment procedures vital to the survival and wellbeing of these patients.” |
