Bay of Plenty Countdown supermarket staff run to raise funds for sick children

Bay of Plenty supermarket staff have been running a marathon a week for 12 weeks to help raise funds for much-needed medical equipment for sick children.

Countdown staff challenged each other to run 42km a week for 12 weeks as part of a twist on the annual Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal for 2017.

A cheque for $99,400 was donated to the Bay of Plenty District Health Board at Countdown Fraser Cove, yesterday.

Tauranga store manager Craig Taylor personally raised about $630 as part of the challenge.

"That is 6km a day which does not seem that much, but when you are getting up at 4.30am to do your 6km that does tend to take its toll."

Fundraising efforts also included barbecues, raffles and quiz nights.

Countdown Bay of Plenty group manager Martyn Douglas said the 2017 Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal raised $1.2m nationwide.

"Over the last 11 years we have raised $11.6 million in the campaign," he said.

Bay of Plenty District Health Board chief Helen Mason said last year nearly $130,000 was raised which helped to purchase much-needed hospital equipment in the paediatric and maternity wards at Tauranga and Whakatane hospitals.

A total of $60,000 was spent on an infant resuscitation system for the maternity units at Tauranga and Whakatane hospitals and $22,990 on a portable blood analyser for the maternity unit, paediatric unit and emergency department at Tauranga Hospital.

Over $43,400 was spent on patient monitors and $2474 on other equipment on the paediatric ward at Tauranga and Whakatane hospitals.

Mason said the annual appeal had raised over $700,000 for Bay of Plenty children between 2008-2016.

She said the health board treated about 6300 children each year in its inpatient facilities, about 11,400 children through the emergency departments and about 2600 babies were born in the region's hospitals each year.

"It makes a huge difference to the quality of care and support for our children," she said.

"Having up-to-date equipment puts our staff in a really good position to support the children in need."

Mason said the funds would help to purchase equipment on the health board's Wish List for 2017 which include over $35,500 for two Cardiotocographs, CTG, monitor and trolleys.

It also for the Special Care Baby Unit at Whakatane Hospital, $25,000 for a Panda for the Intensive Care Unit at Tauranga Hospital and $29,000 for a Giraffe infant resuscitation system at Tauranga Hospital's Emergency Department.

WISH LIST 2017:
1 x Dinamap Carescape v100 portable monitor: $4300
1 x Portable spiromentary: $7200
1 x Giraffe Infant Resuscitation System: $29,000
1 x Panda: $25,000
4 x Masimo Rad 5 Oxygen Saturation monitors: $5180
1 x Panda warmer on wheels: $11,000
1 x Digital chair scales 22kg: $1425
1 x Reichert Clear chart 2: $5600
1 x Sonosite Xporte 13MHz ultrasound transducer: $13050
2 x CTG monitor and trolley $35,520