The Yorkton Co-op, which operates a grocery store and a convenience store in Kamsack, has donated $5,100 towards a new CT Scan for the regional hospital in Yorkton.
Bruce Thurston, general manager of the Yorkton Coop, announced last week that the Yorkton Co-op had raised $5,119.30 during the Fill-Up for the Health of It Day held in April. The Yorkton Coop donates five cents a litre from all gasoline sold that day, from both of their West Broadway and Palliser Way Yorkton Gas bar locations, to The Health Foundation.
This is the fourth year the Yorkton Co-op has held its Yorkton Co-op program raises $5,100 toward a new CT Scan Fill-Up for the Health of It Day and over the four years a total of $22,332 has been raised to help The Health Foundation buy medical equipment for the regional hospital in Yorkton, said a release from The Health Foundation.
鈥淭his program works the same way a number of the programs we have with the foundation work, it is designed to help The Health Foundation raise money for medical equipment we need, but it requires the help and support and buy in from the community to be really successful,鈥� said Thurston. 鈥淚n this case we had approximately 1,700 people stop at our two gas bars and fill up; that鈥檚 a lot of people showing support.
鈥淲e time this program to work with The Health Foundation鈥檚 annual Airwaves for Health Radiothon,鈥� Thurston said. 鈥淚t allows us to do some promotion of the event during the two days of the Radiothon and we advertise for a couple of weeks in advance to create awareness of the Fill up for the Health of It Day.
鈥淎s well, our advertising helps to promote the Radiothon which was also raising money for the new CT Scan,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want the two events to support each other.
鈥淲e do this because we think the work of The Health Foundation is important, and we want to help. We want to make a donation, but we also want to make that donation in a way that creates awareness of the need for those of us in the community to support this program and help expand and improve the health care that鈥檚 available here.鈥�
鈥淲e think this Fill-Up for the Health of It Day is a tremendous idea and has worked really well since the Yorkton Co-op started it,鈥� said Ross Fisher, executive director of The Health Foundation. 鈥淵orkton Co-op has always been a very strong supporter of the work of The Health Foundation, and we appreciate the way they work with us to support our work.
鈥淭his program helped to raise awareness of the need for a new CT and helped us to have a successful Radiothon, in addition to the donation the Yorkton Co-op is making.鈥�
鈥淭his is just the first program that we are working with The Health Foundation on this year,鈥� said Thurston. 鈥淎 CT scan is really an important piece of equipment for our regional hospital and our current machine is 10 years old and coming to the end of its life. A new machine with current technology will be a huge benefit and improvement to our local health care. Helping The Health Foundation successfully raise the money to buy the new CT Scan is something the Yorkton Co-op is going to be involved in.鈥�
