Pharmacy Room dedicated to Donnie Donald
BY MICHELLE CONWAY BSC, BSN, RN
The Kindersley Pharmacy Project is nearing completion at the Kindersley and District Health Centre, which has been made possible through the generous bequest of Donnie Donald of Brock, Saskatchewan.
Hospital staff joined the Mayor, Reeve, Councillors and Board Members to name the hospital’s new Pharmacy Clean Mixing Room in honour of the late Donnie Donald. Back Row (L-R): Rod Perkins (Mayor of Kindersley), Lionel Story (Reeve, RM of Kindersley), Gerard Derosier (Councillor), Rick McDougall (Board member Health & Wellness Foundation) and Murray Serfas (Councillor), Anika Becker (Manager of Clinical Services). Front Row: Miranda Crossman (Pharmacy Tech), Kelsey Keusal (RN), Shannon Palmier (RN). PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN
Donnie Donald was a prominent chuckwagon racer. PHOTO BY ELLON LYONS
Donald was born and raised on a farm near Brock and farmed for a lifetime. Lionel Story fondly recalled that it was always important for Donnie to be the first farmer to seed every spring. He also loved hunting coyotes with his hounds and had plenty of pelts. He was a prominent chuckwagon racer who owned good quality horses. He was known as the community vet, helping farmers out with their animals. Gerard Derosier said Donnie had a heart of gold and was willing to help anybody. Now his contribution will help provide quality services to many patients in this region.
In collaboration with the Kindersley and District Health and Wellness Foundation, the SHA approved the allocation of a portion of the bequest to renovate and install state-of-the-art pharmacy equipment. The new equipment will assist in the preparation of medi- cations for patients in the Community Oncology Program of Saskatchewan (COPS).
Kindersley is one of 16 COPS centres in Saskatchewan. The partnership between the Saskatchewan Health Authority and Saskatchewan Cancer Agency to deliver COPS is a vital commitment to our community. In Kindersley, there were 428 visits to theprogram between 2022 and 2023. Together, COPS nurses and pharmacy technicians, who recently completed training at the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, are excited to utilize this state-of-the-art equipment and new space to provide high-quality services to the patients they serve.
The bequest made in 2015 was a significant gift that has been dedicated to enhancing health care services for residents in Kindersley and area.