Hospital appeals for new equipment are not unusual, but in Albury-Wodonga on the Victoria-New South Wales border a fundraising appeal for a unique set of equipment has begun.
The Albury Wodonga Health Foundation and the Albury Wodonga Health Emergency Department have launched the Keeping Kids Calm Appeal to raise funds for virtual reality (VR) headsets that can help keep children calm and distracted when they visit the hospital.
They are hoping to be able to purchase Smileyscope VR headsets, which depict different natural scenes such as an ocean floor with fish and other aquatic life.
It is a far cry from raising money for a defibrillator or a new waiting room.
Emergency Department (ED) nurse unit manager Lindsay Nichol said the appeal came as the department was set to have its busiest year on record.
Mr Nichol said the hospital was experiencing ongoing growth, with a new ED currently under construction.
He said it could be "terrifying and traumatic" for children to visit the hospital, but VR headsets and other distraction tools helped make it "little bit less traumatic, less painful, and hopefully make it actually a fun experience".
"There's better outcomes when there's less pain involved," Mr Nichol said.
He said the technology was geared toward children aged from one year up to adolescents, but he was willing to use the technology with anyone who might benefit.
Proven worth
Albury Wodonga Health Foundation manager Gina Bladdon said the headsets had been successful in vaccination clinics during the past few years of the pandemic.
The technology made it possible to immerse children who had a needle phobia in a different world.
"We have 15,000 children presenting to ED each year," she said.
"It's really important not just for the kids and their anxious parents, but also for our staff [to keep children calm]," Ms Bladdon said.
She said the foundation hoped to have two headsets in Albury and two in Wodonga, costing about $12,000 per year to run.
The appeal will run until June 30.
