Freemasons donate £5000 for new heart monitor

Freemasons donate £5,000 for a new heart monitor

Freemasons presented a cheque for £5,000 to the York Teaching Hospital Charity towards the purchase of an echocardiograph machine for York Hospital's Cardiology unit. The machine cost over £50,000 which has now been purchased and is benefitting heart patients throughout the area.

Heart disease is the UK's biggest killer. More than 6,000 echocardiograms are carried out in York Hospital each year and the number of patients was increasing.

Echocardiographs are an integral part of the care to many of the patients.The echocardiograph looks at the structure of the patient's heart. A probe is placed on the chest and a pulse of high-frequency sound is passed through the skin. The echoes reflected by the pulse show as a detailed picture on a screen.

The new machine has enabled patients to be seen more quickly and they will be able treated faster which will ultimately saves lives.

Spokesman for the Freemasons, Keith Bell said, "The money which has gone towards purchasing this machine was raised by the Freemasons, their families and friends, through donations, raffles and fundraising events, such as sponsored walks and BBQs. Mitre Lodge of York donated £1,000 and the Provincial Grand Charity of Yorkshire North and East Ridings boosted the amount by a further £4,000, as a result of a successful grant application being submitted by the Lodge to the Provincial Grand Charity."

Lucy Watson, Fundraising Manager for the York Teaching Hospital Charity said, "This vital initiative has only been made possible through donations of time and money by members of the local community. We are extremely grateful to the Freemasons for their geneorus donation which helped towards enabling us to purchase the machine which is now in use and benefitting hundreds of patients."