Since the very beginning of Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, donors have been an integral part of what we do and what we offer patients. For instance, large donations have helped to underwrite entire programs, while smaller contributions have helped us purchase items that we know make patients more comfortable as they undergo treatments.
We want to take this opportunity to tell you a little bit about Medical Technology Associates (MTA), Inc. as they have provided some essential services to us. You may not be familiar with their name, but what MTA have provided to us is a benefit to all our patients, and we’re appreciative of their support.
Although you may think of us as a medical clinic, technically, we are an ambulatory care center, a specific designation regarding the medical services we are allowed to provide. This designation means in the course of treatment we are allowed to deliver conscience sedation for procedures; such as bone marrow biopsies and lumbar punctures, as well as provide complex infusion services, oncology/cancer care, and other medical services.
As a provider of these services, we must also ensure that any medical device or delivery system that helps us provide these services are functioning correctly, including our medical gas and oxygen equipment. For example, many of our rooms are capable of delivering oxygen when needed, but we need to ensure the pipeline that delivers that oxygen is pristine, free of any contaminants and providing the proper amount of oxygen. Additionally, alarm systems that alert staff when the oxygen tanks are low also need to be tested and working correctly. That’s where companies, such as MTA are experts.
Over the past four decades, MTA has been in the business of testing medical gas and vacuum systems for hospitals, surgery centers, pharmacies, and labs. Patients, especially those with compromised immune systems, must be assured that any kind of medical gas delivered to a patient is free of any contaminants. Thanks to the efforts of MTA, we can assure our patients all oxygen and vacuum systems are in proper working order.
But MTA has gone above and beyond.
Usually, this kind of required testing would cost a clinic like ours several thousand dollars. But MTA’s President and CEO, Val Marks, decided to donate the cost of these services. We are thrilled and thankful for their generosity, and we wanted to find out more about what led to this decision.
“We know that Cure 4 The Kids Foundation is Nevada’s only treatment center for childhood cancer and other pediatric catastrophic diseases, and at MTA we have a strong sense of community,” said Marks. “Family and children are a huge part of why we do what we do, and we also have employees and customers in the Las Vegas market. Given this connection, it was a definite yes when MTA’s Western Regional Manager, Rick Pell, reached out to me and asked if we could donate our services,” she said.
As a business, MTA knows the importance of connecting with the communities in which they operate. But Marks said this particular donation was unique for them.
“Both Rick and I felt moved by the cause of Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, and we wanted to assist the Foundation by donating our services,” she said. “We are proud to help the Foundation achieve its vision of creating a new place of caring for the child — it’s a win-win for the community and its families,” said Marks.
“This new law ensures that funding is available to provide better access to treatment and better treatments for patients across the country, which is extremely important,” said Nik Abdul Rashid, M.D., director of the Sickle Cell Treatment Center of Nevada, a specialty clinic of Cure 4 The Kids Foundation. “This law also sets aside funding for better surveillance of just how many people are affected by the disease, and what kind of treatment they are currently receiving,” she said.