The Altona MCC Gift & Thrift Store recently made a generous one-time donation of $5,000 to the Altona Clinic to help replace essential diagnostic equipment.
Altona Clinic office manager Connie Friesen expressed her appreciation for the support.
“The Altona Clinic is a not-for-profit health care clinic that provides services to residents of Altona and the surrounding area,” she said. “There are two services we provide free of charge to patients, and we are unable to recoup the cost of these services from Manitoba Health.
“We offer 24-hour blood pressure monitoring to diagnose and treat high blood pressure, and Ankle Brachial Indexing (ABI) to test lower limb blood pressure and diagnose poor circulation, which increases the risk of stroke and heart attack. These diagnostic tools are used weekly and are in need of replacement.”
David Rempel, manager of the Altona MCC Gift & Thrift Store, said the clinic had contacted them with a request for assistance.
“When the board saw that there weren’t any funding streams available to support this equipment, they thought this would be a good project to get behind,” he explained. “With our volunteer base being mostly seniors, it’s on the radar for us too. It’s a community need. The board was pleased to be able to pay the entire amount needed for that equipment.”
Rempel added that, in addition to supporting the local and global relief, development and peace projects of Mennonite Central Committee, the thrift store also contributes to community-based initiatives.
“Providing funds to replace vital health care equipment at Altona Clinic is something that is in keeping with our mission,” he said.
