Two life-size skeletons will soon be put to good use at Royal Columbian Hospital.
The skeletons are the latest hospital purchases made by the Group of Five, which has held a variety of fundraisers since 2004 to buy equipment for Royal Columbian Hospital.
The women involved in the group - Shirley Piper, Gerda Suess, Mary Lou Chesman, Alana McIntyre, Marion Osterman and Helen Bodner - consult with hospital staff to determine what needs to be purchased and then hold a variety of fundraisers to buy the needed items.
"The Group of Five has bought a couple of very large skeletons for the hospital," Piper said. "They are full skeletons. What they are going to be using them for is in the emergency rooms and the cast rooms."
When people come into the hospital with certain injuries or breaks, hospital staff will be able to use the skeletons to show them how they'll treat the injury.
"They will show them the actual pins they are going to put in. It is also a really great teaching apparatus," Piper said. "It helps the doctors, it helps the nurses, it helps the interns, it helps the patients. I think the kids will find it fascinating when they come in with a break."
The Group of Five is grateful for the support of local residents who have attended its teas, luncheons and other events.
Funds raised at those events helps purchase items such as the skeletons.
The Group of Five donates 100 per cent of the proceeds of its fundraisers toward equipment for Royal Columbian Hospital.
Past donations have included bone foam (which is used to position patients when they're undergoing surgery) and a pressure monitor (a device that helps monitor how much pressure blood is putting on a muscle, which can be used by various departments at the hospital).
Piper said last spring's garden party was a hit, and the society is now working on plans for a fundraising event in the spring.
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