Brookings Healthcare Auxiliary Donates $1,500 to Home Health & Hospice
- February 15, 2016
Money Used to Purchase Portable Patient Monitoring System
Brookings Healthcare Auxiliary recently donated $1,500 to Brookings Health System’s Home Health and Hospice programs to purchase a specialized, portable patient monitoring system sensitive enough to take the pulse and blood oxygenation level of adults with poor circulation and infants.
The system, called a pulse oximeter, offers attachment choices for home health and hospice nurses to take accurate readings from patients.
“The standard method of taking pulse and oxygenation readings is with a finger clip,” said Home Services Director Lynne Kaufmann. “Premature babies and babies born with heart conditions that we visit in the home are too small for the finger clip. The new monitoring system allows our nurses to take readings from babies’ feet. Adult patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or congestive heart failure may not have enough blood volume in their finger to take a reading with a finger clip. For them, our nursing staff can use ear clip attachments.”
Accurate pulse and blood oxygenation readings help home care providers assess the heart’s ability to pump oxygenated blood and determine the need for supplemental oxygen.
Brookings Health System Home Services provide high-quality health care and support in the home seven days a week. Local nurses, local aides, a local social worker and a local chaplain work with patients, their families and their physicians to tailor a home care plan. For more information on home services, or to request services, please call (605) 696-7700 or visit www.brookingshealth.org/Home.
About Brookings Health System
Brookings Health System, located in Brookings, South Dakota, includes a 49-bed hospital, the 79-bed The Neighborhoods at Brookview nursing home, Brookhaven Estates senior living apartments, Yorkshire Eye Clinic, and medical clinics in Arlington, White and Volga, South Dakota. It is a non-profit, city-owned facility that offers the community a full range of inpatient, outpatient, surgical and extended care services. The emergency room is staffed 24 hours a day and provides around the clock patient needs ranging from minor injuries to life threatening crises. For more information about the services offered at Brookings Health System, please call (605) 696-9000 or visit us on the Web at brookingshealth.org.