For children in the Turner Ward at The Children’s Hospital in Westmead, having a cannula put in is about to become a little bit easier thanks to George Houssos and the Thalassaemia and Sickle Cell Society of NSW Inc.
As President of the society, Mr Houssos presented a state-of-the-art AccuVein machine, valued at $7000, to nurses at the hospital on Monday.
The donation will help nurses better see a child’s veins before cannulation by using a special infrared light, and this will mean less cannulation attempts, less trauma, better vein health and an overall better experience for patients.
“For people with Thalassaemia and Sickle Cell, it’s life long blood transfusions and treatment. Their veins are constantly getting pierced and over time can get damaged,” Mr Houssos tells The Greek Herald.
“So protecting those veins is paramount… and this tool can help the nurses improve their accuracy.”
In a statement on Facebook, The Children’s Hospital thanked the society for its “generous and valuable donation,” and Mr Houssos says it was an honour to help out.
“Raising money for cures and treatments is a bit out of our reach. But being able to raise money and buy tactical equipment like this that is going to help staff day-to-day and help alleviate some anxiety and pain for patients on a daily basis, is fantastic,” Mr Houssos added.
“The nursing staff were over the moon and very happy.”
The Thalassaemia and Sickle Cell Society of NSW Inc has been raising money for people who have thalassaemia, an inherited blood disorder, for the last 42 years.
You can read more about the fantastic work they do here.
