Matching funds to help P.E.I. hospitals fund digital mammography, nutrition tech

Some Island patients will soon have an easier time ordering food in the hospital, and others will be getting updated mammography testing.

That's the plan for money promised recently by Premier Dennis King, who saidthe province will match up to $500,000 in donations made this year to both the Prince County HospitalFoundation in Summersideand the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation in Charlottetown.

Both organizations say the extra funds mean more supportfor patients.

Heather Matheson, managing director for the PCH Foundation, told CBC's Island Morningon Thursday that her team was "pretty surprised" to hear King announce the news at a recent event.

"We didn't expect that at all. I must say, hearing that announcement certainly made a big impact on our fundraising goal for the year," Matheson said.

The PCH's goal for 2021 is just shy of $1.8 million.

Both foundations will be purchasing digital mammography devices this year, and the provincial funding will help make a big dent in their $600,000 price tag.

Matheson said the provincial funding news had"really good timing" since their current mammography equipment was put in place in 2009 and has reached the end of its life.

End to paper menus at QEH

Besides new mammography equipment, Tracey Comeau of the QEH Foundation said the funding will help them digitize their food services.

People are still filling out paper menus a day before their meal is delivered, which Comeau said has been the same practice since the hospital opened in 1982.

A new digital system means patients can choose what they want to eat more quickly, using a digital tablet or device brought to them by a volunteer or staff member. It should also reduce food waste by about 9 per cent, Comeau added.

"It really brings the nutritionist back to the bedside for education on how people can take these good food choices home with them," she said.

The QEH will act as an "incubator" for the digital system, which will eventually roll out to all other health facilities across the Island.

Comeau said the QEHFoundation will split its portion of matching provincial funds.

The nutrition services project will cost about$250,000 and the remaining funds will go toward two newmammography machinesat a cost of over $1.1 million.

More from CBC P.E.I.