Gosford Hospital Auxiliary recently celebrated 75 years of caring for the Central Coast community.
This is an extraordinary milestone for Central Coast Local Health Districts (CCLHD) oldest auxiliary, which predates the hospital it supports. Gosford Hospital Auxiliary has a rich history, forming while Gosford Hospital was still under construction in 1944, Cheryl Dennis, President of Gosford Hospital Auxiliary said. It began as a passion project for locals so many years ago and we are proud to continue the tradition 75 years later.
It is always rewarding to see the difference our contributions make to patients, families and staff at Gosford Hospital, she added. In the first 22 years of operation, from 1944 to 1966, some of the donations from Gosford Hospital Auxiliary included a skeleton doll, tea trolley, sewing machine, piano and shrubs for the hospital garden. Funds were raised through street stalls, mah-jong parties and a tray mobile service.
Today, donated items purchased recently include vital signs monitors to measure the body’s most basic functions, doppler ultrasounds which monitor blood flow, and humidifiers that deliver warm and humidified respiratory gasses to spontaneously breathing patients. These important pieces of state-of-the-art equipment have been made possible through raffles and monthly stalls held in Gosford Hospitals main entry foyer which sell a variety of goods like jams, pickles, cakes and handmade knitted items.
Gosford Hospital Auxiliary’s contribution over its 75 years has been significant, with records depicting a snapshot of this generosity, indicating that the group has raised more than $346,791 since 1998. It is amazing to see how Gosford Hospital Auxiliary and its support has transformed over the years as medicine, technology and our community’s needs have evolved.
It is a testament to how integral the group is to the hospital and the Central Coast community, Dr Andrew Montague, Chief Executive, CCLHD said. We are incredibly lucky to have the Gosford Hospital Auxiliary as part of our team and we are grateful for the dedication, hard work and commitment of past and present members, he added.
Source: Media release, Aug 5 Central Coast Local Health District Media