V&T fundraiser to benefit patient care

The train to Virginia City delivers patient care benefits during the Carson Tahoe Health Auxiliary’s V&T Wine, Cheese and Dessert Train on April 6.The fundraiser features a round-trip ride on the historic V&T with lunch and discount shopping in Virginia City.“It’s really a good value,” said auxiliary president Gloria Seaton.Tickets cost $65 per person and usually sell out early. The train leaves Carson City at 10 a.m. and returns at 3 p.m. on its run through the historic Comstock.The fundraiser includes wine and cheese served in route from Carson City to Virginia City. Lunch, which is included in the ticket price, is served at the Red Dog Saloon. Ticket holders will receive exclusive shopping discounts at selected Virginia City merchants and free admission to one of three venues — The Way It Was Museum, the Mine Tour or a Trolley Tour. On the return train ride, dessert and wine are served.A shuttle transports participants between Virginia City and the train depot.The V&T event, now in its fourth year, is one of the biggest fundraisers for the auxiliary, Seaton said.All proceeds raised by the auxiliary are used for equipment at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center.“We raise the money and the hospital comes to us with what they need,” Seaton said. “The money is always there for the hospital.”Recently, the auxiliary purchased two Christie Vein Finders for the emergency room and intensive care units. The devices help locate a patients veins to extract blood or insert a shunt, which reduces repeat needle sticks when a suitable vein is difficult to locate.Other equipment purchased for the hospital has included wheelchairs, blanket warmers, and shuttles to transport patients and visitors from the parking lot to the hospital entrance.“The things that we have purchased are for the patients,” Seaton said.Tickets for the V&T Wine, Cheese and Dessert Train can be purchased at the Carson Tahoe Health Auxiliary Gift Shop inside the medical center lobby, or by calling Gloria Seaton at 775-882-8162 or Tamar Warren at 775-461-0311.