St Andrew’s
Ipswich
steps up with
celebral palsy
fundraiser
Staff from St Andrew’s Ipswich Private Hospital have
raised more than $11,400 for people with cerebral
palsy as part of charity event ‘Steptember’.
The challenge, run by Cerebral
Palsy Alliance, requires people
to take 10,000 steps a day for
28 days straight during
September to raise money and
awareness about the condition.
Director of Clinical Services,
Christopher Junge, said about
30 people were involved in
raising funds through food drives, raffles and other initiatives.
“The money raised will be donated to provide money for
equipment, therapy and services for people living with
cerebral palsy,” Mr Junge said.
“We are so proud of the work this team has done in
generating these funds.”
The Ramsay Way 2019 | 04 21
HOSPITAL NEWS
Puppet dog brings joy to Peel Health
Campus patients
Rehabilitation patients at Peel Health Campus (PHC) have had a surprise visit from “Lump” the
puppet dog and his puppeteers, who took time out from their nationwide tour of ‘Picasso and his
dog’ that was performing at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre (MPAC).
Set in 1957, ‘Picasso and his dog’ is based on the true story
of Pablo Picasso and his resident Dachshund “Lump”,
deep love and the art their wonderful friendship inspired.
MPAC Chief Executive Officer, Guy Boyce, said he hoped
the visit brought joy to patients.
“It was a rare show that appealed across all ages,”
Mr Boyce said. “Young children tend to love puppets
but the older generation are often equally enthused.”
PHC Rehabilitation Unit Clinical Nurse Specialist, Jane
Byrne, said the visit prompted lengthy discussions among
older adults on the rehabilitation ward.
“It certainly generated a great deal of interaction among
the group, which is very important among older patients,
particularly those on the rehabilitation ward who have
usually been in hospital for longer periods,” she said.
Patient Gertrude (“Gerty”) Keonig said she enjoyed the
performance and the artistry of the puppeteer.
Ramsay Health Care has been supporting the Mandurah
Performing Arts since 2014.
Joondalup lights up for Telethon
Joondalup Health Campus (JHC) was one of 20 buildings in Western Australia that lit up in red to raise awareness of the annual Telethon fundraising weekend.
The hospital’s engineering team were instrumental in making
the magic happen, which generated much conversation and
helped draw attention to the two-day fundraising drive.
Channel 7 Perth’s Telethon is the highest fundraising Telethon
(per capita) in the world.
Now in its 52nd year, more than $42 million was raised for
sick children across WA, smashing last year’s record of $38
million. The Paul Ramsay Foundation was among the biggest
of the corporate donors, giving $1.3 million.
JHC CEO Kempton Cowan said he urged everyone to support
Telethon each year and donate to help children in need:
“It’s all about the kids,” he said. “Every bit counts and we’re
very pleased to be partnering with Telethon in helping to
make a difference.”
“The hospital is a proud Telethon beneficiary, in 2016 opening
the Telethon Children’s Ward and in 2017 receiving funding
for The ORIGINS Project.”
The ORIGINS Project is a landmark 10-year study being
run by the Telethon Kids Institute and Joondalup Health
Campus. Co-Lead investigator and Head of Paediatrics at
JHC, Professor Desiree Silva, explained the study aimed to
reduce the rising epidemic of non-communicable diseases by
providing a healthy start to life.
“We are creating comprehensive data and biobanks for
10,000 families over a decade, by collecting detailed
information from pregnant women, their partners and babies
for the first five years of the baby’s life,” she said. “The project
is using new science and technologies to analyse how a
child’s early environment and parents’ physical health and
genetics influence the risk of a wide range of conditions such
as asthma, eczema, allergies, diabetes, obesity and autism.”
Since launching in 2017, more than 2,500 local families have
been recruited with 1,500 ORIGINS babies born. To find out
more visit originsproject.telethonkids.org.au