A Successful Driver Drive in Golden Bay

In April, Nelson Tasman Hospice sought support from the Golden Bay community, as the Golden Bay Community Health nursing team identified palliative care equipment that was urgently required for patients on hospice service. This equipment included a syringe driver (meaning that people can self-manage their pain medication, providing fast pain relief as required) and a medical transport bed (for in-home care). The total cost for this equipment was estimated to be circa $7,000.

Golden Bay Community Health (GBCH) as the lead provider, in collaboration with Nelson Tasman Hospice, provide palliative care services to on average more than 6 patients and their families in Golden Bay each month.

Nelson Tasman Hospice provides specialist clinical oversight in person and via phone and video consultation. In addition, one of our Nurse Educators is regularly in Golden Bay working with the District Nurses, the nurses in the
Aged Care Facility and patients, to upskill and support the team in providing excellent palliative care.

When we started talking to the community about the need for support, we were immediately met with a fantastic response. Pete Greer kicked off the fundraising by donating $1,000 from the ‘Kris Campbell Memorial Fund’. TradeZone & Waitapu Engineering came on board with a $1,000 donation in memory of John Whitaker. Then the Golden Bay Lions came to the party with $2850 for the cause. This was a great start to the campaign, leaving only $2,150 to be fundraised to reach the target.

This fundraising drive gave Nelson Tasman Hospice a wonderful opportunity to talk to locals about our role in delivering palliative care services to the area. Interviews with members of the District Nursing team at Golden Bay Community Health, Paul Whitaker at TradeZone, volunteer John Campbell, and Lions Club members Julie Langford and Pam Gardiner, opened conversations about the service and how locals can get behind it; locals supporting locals. These interviews can be found on our website.

Altogether, the community rallied to fundraise an impressive total of $10,569.50 managing to exceed the original goal set!

This community effort enabled not only the purchase of new equipment but also supports the sustainability of hospice services in the region. A huge thank you to everyone involved with this campaign, and the Golden Bay community for supporting specialist palliative care services in the region.

Special thanks to those that got involved.

The team at TradeZone got right behind the fundraiser, putting in the mahi behind a sausage sizzle in The Village Green. Hospice also had support from a bunch of Golden Bay businesses sporting a donation box on counters at; NBS Takaka, Hammer Hardware, Tākaka Hospice Shop, Golden Bay Pharmacy, TradeZone, Tinky’s Tavern – Collingwood, The Pohara General Store, The Wholemeal Café, Molly B’s,and Fresh Choice