PROCEEDS from next year's City2City fun run will go towards life-saving diagnostic equipment.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Every cent of the event's registration fees will go to Albury Wodonga Health, to support the purchase of an Endobronchial ultrasound scope, also known as an ‘E-Bus’.
The scope is an important diagnostic tool, particularly for patients who may have lung cancer.
Dr James Roberston, a respiratory and sleep physician at Wodonga hospital, said before the technology arrived on the Border patients were forced to travel to Melbourne to receive a diagnosis.
“It’s important for people to have access to specialised cancer services, because the travel is a huge burden on people who can’t get around easily,” he said.
“If they can get it done locally, they’re much more likely to undergo the correct workup, if they get the correct work-up done you get the correct treatment.
“We’ve partnered with the community to get people in here, and we’ve partnered with other health professionals to make sure they’re diagnosed accurately and treated appropriately.”
One E-Bus unit costs approximately $75,000, and with two on hand, Dr Roberston said the organisation was hoping to meet increasingly high demand for the service.
As it stands, more than 130 patients use the E-Bus service annually.
City2City co-founder Michelle Hudson said the ongoing growth of the event was a show of support from the Border community for the region’s health professionals.
“Border people have really embraced the event since the beginning in 2015 and we’re hoping the community will again help us celebrate our cross-border health service next year,” she said.
“We went from nought to 3500 participants in the first year, to more than 12,000 overall in the three years since.
“We’ve raised over $315,000 during that time.
“The event is attracting a lot of visitation as well, to the point that we’re now the largest fun run outside of Melbourne, Sydney or Canberra.
“The fact that 100 per cent of registration fees are donated to a local beneficiary is a huge part of that.”
Entries for the 2018 City2City are now open.
Organisers are hoping to break the 5000 entrant mark for the first time in next year’s event, which will be held on Sunday, February 18.