The Maui Memorial Medical Center Auxiliary donated a $15,000 bladder scanner for use in fourth-floor units in the hospital's Wailuku Tower.

Two other scanners are in use at the Kahului Tower, and medical staff serving a total of 71 beds in the Wailuku Tower units often had to borrow the equipment.

Nurse Verna Tavares said the new bladder scanner will reduce the need for patient catheterizations, "something everyone is happier about."

In addition to equipment donations, scholarships and other aid, the Maui Memorial Medical Center Auxiliary provides more than 1,000 hours of volunteer service every month, according to president Patti Demain.