Banner funds $500k for operating equipment

WORLAND – Washakie Medical Center was gifted $500,000 for equipment from Banner Health, and received an interpretation device to aide those who are deaf at the hospital and clinic.

Previously, Banner gifted $1 million to be used for equipment since the $23.4 million hospital construction budget could be used just for the construction. A CT machine was bought with the Banner funding.

The new $500,000 from Banner Health was given after CEO Jay Stallings approached Banner after they discovered $406,000 out of the $429,000 budgeted under legal fees had already spent.

Stallings had originally hoped a portion of funding from the line item could be used for medical equipment.

The money will be used for operating room video integration system, and Stallings said, “This is a phenomenal set-up … and this is the same level of technology used in … universities.”

He said he approached Banner about equipment because, “It just didn’t feel right to have this beautiful operating room and not have the best equipment possible for the community.”

Chair Dan Scheuerman agreed and said, “It’s a pretty big deal for Worland to have this.”

With the addition of the video integration, the operating room completion date will be November 2016.

–Washakie Medical Center and Washakie Medical Center Clinic also received the deaf/ASL interpreter, called In-Demand Interpretation Essential from Banner Health.

Chief Human Resources Officer Gracie Ramos said the machine is similar to FaceTime and once you turn it on, someone will be available to interpret for both the doctor and the patient. She added the machine is being programed in many languages and already has 20 on it.

The interpreter machine was given to Banner Health hospitals and clinics nationwide. “That’s the advantage of being a part of Banner. When one hospital gets it, we all get it,” Stallings said.