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UNION — An 18-month effort to raise funds for a new cardiovascular diagnostic stress testing system for the Radiology Department of Wallace Thomson Hospital could soon reach a successful conclusion with the Union County Healthcare Foundation’s “Shag Night 2013” fundraiser.

Catherine Childers, foundation executive director, said Wednesday that the foundation’s fund raising efforts since 2011 have been directed toward raising the $47,000 needed to pay for the system which will enable the radiology department to provide advanced stress testing services. She said the majority of the funds needed to pay for the system have already been raised and it is hoped that Shag Night 2013 will bring in the balance.

“Every event that we’ve been doing for the past year-and-a-half has been toward that,” Childers said. “We’ve raised a little over three-fourths of the cost of the system and we’re hoping that Shag Night will put us over the top.”

Shag Night 2013 will be held at the Union National Guard Armory at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, and will feature music, auctions of donated goods, and dinner.

“We’ll have Jim Quick & Coastline, they’re a beach music band,” Childers said. “We will have a live auction and a silent auction and food will be served.”

Childers said the items donated for the auction so far include Botox treatments, massage packages, a Ducks Unlimited print, a set of braces, pottery, and a membership in the Union County YMCA.

“If anybody would like to donate an item for the auction call me at 301-2466,” Childers said. “You will get a tax write-off and it is good advertising for your business.”

Tickets for Shag Night 2013 are $35 and must be purchased by Wednesday, Feb. 20, because none will be sold at the door. Childers, however, cautioned that tickets are going fast and, as in previous years, may be sold out before the last day they are scheduled to be sold.

“For the past three years we’ve sold out completely two to three weeks before the event,” Childers said. “We have a total of 300 tickets but they are going fast. I have less than 100 left.”

Since its incorporation as a non-profit corporation in 1993, the Union County Healthcare Foundation has worked to identify and secure additional funding to supplement the efforts of the hospital, Ellen Sagar Nursing Home, the Union County EMS, and the local medical community in providing high quality, cost effective health care. It has secured that funding through charitable donations and fund raising events with the funds used over the years to purchase a variety of medical systems used by the various departments and agencies of the Union Hospital District.

“Before we began raising funds for the cardiovascular diagnostic stress testing system for the radiology department we raised funds for the STEMI Data Transfer System for the EMS,” Childers said. “We also raised funds for a Picture Archiving and Communication System for the radiology department and we also raised funds for SiteRite PICC Line equipment.”

Childers pointed outthat 100 percent of the funds raised by the foundation go toward the health care needs of the community. She said this is due to the foundation’s partnership with American Homepatient which she described as “a home medical supply company.” The foundation owns 30 percent of the company and the revenue it receives from that arrangement is used to pay for all of its administrative costs enabling it to put all the funds it raises through events like Shag Night toward the health care needs of Union County.

For more information about Shag Night 2013 and the Union County Healthcare Foundation call Catherine Childers at 301-2466.

Editor Charles Warner can be reached at 864-427-1234, ext. 14, or by email at cwarner@heartlandpublications.com.