The Sequim-Dungeness Hospital Guild recently donated Clallam County Fire District No. 3 funds to buy a software upgrade that officials say will improve the district’s quality assurance and improvement methods.

At the guild’s annual Christmas appreciation luncheon on Dec. 13, Guild President Nancy McGovern presented the fire district with a $36,000 check from the guild’s thrift shop to purchase First Pass Performance Improvement Software.

“This grant provided by the Sequim Dungeness Hospital Guild will ensure that we continue to provide great service today and better service tomorrow,” said Fire District No. 3 Captain Derrell Sharp, who applied for the grant.

Sharp said the traditional approach to quality improvement in the EMS process can be cumbersome and time-consuming to identify specific areas for performance improvement. He said the new software automates the first look at every electronically-generated patient care report to ensure protocol compliance, completeness of documentation and clinical care objectives have been met.

“With this First Pass software the (fire) district will be able to spend more time working on system improvements and training priorities that will improve patient outcomes,” he said, “rather than spending precious time filtering through every patient record to identify compliance or deviation from protocol standards.”

In operation since 1970, the Sequim Dungeness Hospital Guild dedicates proceeds from its thrift shop at 204 W. Bell St. to meet the needs of health and medical organizations in the community.

Guild members donate funds twice a year to health and medical organizations, such as the fire district, at its annual Christmas appreciation luncheon in December and at its annual fashion show and auction event in the spring.

The Sequim-Dungeness Hospital Guild Thrift Shop is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday, and is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.