Premature babies in the Northern Rivers who need urgent eye checks will no longer have to be sent to the Gold Coast, thanks to a community that dug deep for more than $120,000.
A new Paediatric Retinal Imaging System was delivered to Tweed Valley Hospital on Wednesday, 21 October. It will be shared across paediatric hospitals in the Northern NSW Local Health District, including Lismore Base Hospital and Grafton Base Hospital.
The equipment was bought by Our Kids, the district’s children’s health charity. It will help protect the eyesight of some of the region’s most vulnerable babies.
Premature babies can be screened for Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), a serious eye condition that can lead to vision impairment or blindness if left untreated. Until now, babies needing screening had to be transported to the Gold Coast.
“This new equipment allows us to take detailed images of the back of a child’s eye in their local hospital and quickly share them with specialist paediatric teams for expert advice,” said specialist paediatrician and Our Kids founder Dr Chris Ingall.
“This means babies who need urgent treatment can be identified sooner, helping us provide the best possible care.”
“What’s really exciting is this equipment is portable and will be shared across Tweed Valley Hospital, Lismore Base Hospital and Grafton Base Hospital, meaning more families throughout the Northern Rivers can access specialist eye assessments closer to home, without the stress and inconvenience of travelling long distances,” Dr Ingall said.
The money came from a long list of fundraisers over the past year. They included the Westlawn Finance Grafton Golf Day, the Local Government Golf Day, the Darrel Chapman Fun Run, the Our Kids Lismore Golf Day, the Knappick Foundation, the Our Kids Melbourne Cup Luncheon, The Seaton Foundation, the Our Kids Winter Ball, and the Lismore Samson Fitness Challenge.
Since it was established in 2001, Our Kids has funded more than $3.2 million worth of paediatric equipment for local hospitals across the Northern Rivers.
Our Kids Fundraising Coordinator Rebekka Battista said the purchase highlighted the impact of community support.
“This is a beautiful example of our community coming together to make a real difference for local children and families,” Ms Battista said.
“With such a significant price tag, it takes time and dedication to raise the necessary funds. Every event, donor, volunteer and supporter played a part in making this possible. To now see this equipment in use and helping premature babies across our region is something the entire community can be proud of, and we are so grateful for their support.”
At Tweed Valley Hospital’s Special Care Nursery, Acting Nurse Unit Manager Tamara Cormick and nurse Tim Lowe have been working with the new system.
“Our aim has always been to help keep kids local when they need medical care, and this equipment will do exactly that by giving our clinicians in Northern NSW access to world-class technology and specialist support,” Ms Battista said.
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