Formed with the mission: ‘Our Kids are Our future’ in 1991 by Trevor Oldfield and Professor Reuben Dubois of Westmead hospital, the goal was to raise some much-needed funds for the hospitals in Sydney’s West. Today, they have managed to do just that and more.
“Our focus has always been on Western Sydney and associated hospitals, as when we started, funding for Western Sydney was limited and the availability of advanced equipment was slow to reach hospitals in the west and far west. Westmead, Blacktown and Nepean were less a priority.
"This has changed to a degree but the continual increase in population in Western Sydney means that to keep up to date with facilities and equipment is still more than a challenge,” says Trevor Oldfield, Executive Director at Kids West.
Kids West was welcomed as a charity which aimed at identifying the real needs in the infrastructure and filling gaps wherever possible.
Recently, the Kids West team visited Nepean Hospital’s NICU and Maternity units, where the equipment they supplied has now enabled the hospital staff to provide the best care to newborns and families.
The jaundice meters donated by Kids West has been an ‘incredible asset’, says an official staff in a letter written to the charity.
The staff can now quickly and non-invasively screen babies for jaundice, which, if left untreated, can lead to serious complications.
The number of blood tests needed to determine this condition has come down drastically, which in turn means less distress for newborns and their families. These devices are portable, enabling the hospital’s Midwifery at Home team also to conduct screenings during home visits.
The compactly designed breast milk fridges supplied there, also have had a very positive impact. Mother’s milk can now be stored right at the bedside, particularly crucial for premature and vulnerable babies. It is now easy to regulate temperature too in these fridges, thus helping store milk and medications more effectively.
The breast milk fridges have also had a profound impact. Their compact design allows mothers’ milk to be stored right at the bedside, providing easier access and reducing the risk of errors or cross-contamination. Having these fridges within sight promotes breastfeeding, which is particularly crucial for premature and vulnerable babies.
Additionally, the improved storage conditions help regulate temperature, ensuring both breast milk and certain medications remain safe and readily available for use.
In addition to this, Kids West has provided a much-needed Ventilator to Campbelltown Paediatrics. The staff are now training in the use of this equipment. Kids West has now received a request to provide a similar ventilator to Liverpool Paediatrics.
Providing greater access to essential care, Kids West also recently gave away 20 vouchers to vulnerable families in Doonside. While a few families had children with special needs, others were faced with learning difficulties in children and financial struggles. A lot of them were severely impacted by domestic violence too amidst growing families.
“There is never enough funding to support the needs but we believe that if we can help save one life, help prevent a tragedy or help keep a family emotionally stable, then we have succeeded. We know that we are a small part of a huge problem and as such we developed a motto ‘if a lot of people and organizations do a little bit, the difference is a lot’,” says Oldfield.
