LET’S CHANGE NEONATAL CARE IN THE NORTH - FOREVER.
The History of our Tiny NICU
- Our nursery began in 1899 when Prince Albert saw the opening of its first hospital.
- As the population grew, our obstetrics ward would grow 3 more times to the most recent upgrade in 1993.
- Our nursery delivers 1500 babies a year & was planned as a ‘well baby’ nursery, but today operates as a level 2 NICU, stabilizing and caring for a growing number of sick or premature babies as young as 32 weeks.
- Our Prince Albert pediatric team has the capability, skills and training to stabilize and care for fragile newborns born with HIV, Hepatitis C, addictions as well as pre-term babies.
- As a result, our hospital has been designated as one of only three major pediatric centres in Saskatchewan (Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina) and is seen as a destination by the Neonatal and Pediatric teams throughout SK. We regularly accept babies from Saskatoon and Regina when required.
However, today, we do not have the space, nor the right equipment to care safely for more than 4 babies at a time in our present NICU.
In February 2019, together with our community and Dr. Lalita Malhotra, our Foundation completed a 2.2 million dollar campaign to fund the expansion and upgrade of our NICU from 357 square feet to 4,000 square feet. Soon, sick babies born at our hospital will be able to be cared for in a safer and more family centred space. Construction is now underway with a projected opening for late 2021!
Critical Decisions Require Critical Equipment
With a beautiful new space on the way, we do not have enough of or the right technology to equip our new 11 bed unit. With time being of the essence, our Foundation launched a capital campaign to raise an additional 2.5 million dollars to equip and furnish our new NICU, because we believe our children and mothers deserve the very best, as close to home as possible. To date, we have raised nearly $800,000 towards our goal! The mental and financial strain on families, when they are forced to travel to Regina or Saskatoon with their sick babies, depletes the family of much needed energy and resources to cope with their little one’s journey back to health. State of the art equipment means our caregivers will have tools of the highest quality to give these fragile babies the best care possible at our hospital.
A fully equipped new NICU will ensure:
- Every mother and newborn child in the north receives the best possible care, in the best possible space with the most updated technology, much closer to family and support networks.
- Mom or dad will have the space to sleep next to their baby to feed, hold and bond during their stay in our hospital.
- A safer environment for our pediatricians and nurses using the newest technology and quality equipment to save and care for our most fragile babies.
- Fewer costly and stressful transfers to Saskatoon and Regina. This will alleviate pressure on the other two NICUS in our province by creating additional capacity, while allowing our northern families to receive care closer to home.