Friday 4 March is Red & White Appeal Day.
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100 local businesses are being challenged to raise £100 on Friday 4 March.
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Individuals, communities, schools, local pubs and restaurants are joining in with fundraising activities.
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The Red & White Appeal aims to create a specialist treatment unit for patients with leukaemia and other life-threatening blood disorders from across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Wiltshire, Dorset, West Sussex and the Channel Islands.
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One in 25 of us will develop leukaemia, myeloma or lymphoma in our lifetime.
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£2.2million is needed to complete the project. Over £680,000 has been raised to date.
Friday 4 March is red-letter day across Southampton and the Southern region as individuals, communities and businesses fundraise for Southampton Hospital Charity’s Red & White Appeal Day.
Southampton Hospital Charity’s Red & White Appeal| aims to create a specialist outpatient treatment centre for patients with leukaemia and other blood disorders from across the region. This state of the art unit will enable medical staff to vastly improve the quality of care for all patients receiving treatment for these life-threatening conditions at Southampton General Hospital.
There is currently no dedicated facility for haematology patients who need day case treatments such as chemotherapy, blood transfusions, platelet transfusions and stem cell collections. At present, patients who need day case treatments have to go to another area of the hospital, which provides care for both oncology patients (those with solid tumour cancers) and haematology patients (those with blood cancers).
Due to a significant increase in the number of patients now receiving treatment, the clinics have become very overcrowded. Not only is this stressful for patients and nursing staff, but it would also be far better to keep haematology patients, who have low immune systems and can be prone to infection, away from other patient groups.
The current day case treatment area is also located at the opposite end of the hospital to the haematology inpatient service, a distance of 1km there and back. Southampton strives to provide continuity of care so that patients come to the same place in the hospital for all of their care, and are able to see the same staff.
The £2.2million Red & White Appeal will fund a dedicated day case unit for haematology patients at Southampton General Hospital, which will be co-located with the haematology inpatient facilities, providing continuity of care and a reassuring and settling environment.
Over £680,000 has been raised so far, and with the help of its supporters, Southampton Hospital Charity hopes to reach its target as quickly as possible so that patients can benefit from the enhanced services. The Charity hopes to raise the remaining funds by summer 2012, but this will only be possible if the city and region gets behind the project.
Joan Newman, bone marrow transplant clinical nurse specialist said, “The new facilities that will be funded by the Red & White Appeal really will make such a difference to our patients, and will enable us to provide the best possible care and a unique protective environment for people who are at a vulnerable stage in their treatment. Every penny counts, so please do your bit to support the Appeal and help make the project a reality.”
Red & White Appeal Day has provided the opportunity for the city and region to show its support, including staff at Southampton General Hospital.
Michael Marsh, medical director of University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is even supporting Red & White Appeal Day from overseas.
Michael said, “I’m proud to be supporting Red & White Appeal Day and my family are also involved as far afield as Australia, South-East Asia and Spain. It’s fantastic to see everybody pull together to raise awareness and funds for such a worthy Appeal which will be of huge benefit to haematology patients at Southampton General Hospital.”
Steve McManus, chief operating officer at the Trust said, “We are delighted that the community and businesses across the city and region have come out in force to support Red & White Appeal Day. It is so important that we raise the funds needed to complete this project to benefit patients as soon as possible. We would like to thank everyone for their generous support and hope that they continue to back this vital Appeal.”
Carrie Bolt, fundraising manager at Southampton Hospital Charity said, “We would like to say a huge thank you to everybody who has supported Red & White Appeal Day, from the businesses, universities and schools, to community groups and individual fundraisers. We can’t raise the funds that we so desparately need without your help, and we are grateful to you all for making a real difference.”
Find out more about the Red & White Appeal|
Posted on Friday 4 March 2011