yyctimes

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    With economy on the rise, Alberta leads in interprovincial migration

    March 23, 2023

    Spruce Grove fundraising hockey game honours fallen Edmonton police officers

    March 23, 2023

    Calgary Transit set to receive up to $32M for revenue shortfall

    March 23, 2023
    • Home
    • Contact Us
    Facebook Twitter
    yyctimes
    yyctimes
    Home » $10 million gift will help transform pre-natal care in Calgary
    yyctimes

    $10 million gift will help transform pre-natal care in Calgary

    yyctimesBy yyctimesNovember 16, 2022No Comments6 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pinterest Tumblr Reddit Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Breadcrumb trail links

    1. Local news

    Two to three years from now, the existing 38-bed NICU will be rebuilt into a 58-bed, level 3 unit at Foothills Hospital

    Katie Fraser, with her daughter Scarlett, speaks at a media event announcing a $10 million donation from the Taylor Family Foundation that will fund a new neonatal unit at Foothills Hospital.
    Katie Fraser, with her daughter Scarlett, speaks at a media event announcing a $10 million donation from the Taylor Family Foundation that will fund a new neonatal unit at Foothills Hospital. Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia

    Article content

    When Katie Fraser gave birth 16 weeks prematurely, she struggled to believe her little baby Scarlett would live.

    Advertisement 2

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Article content

    “I thought there’s no way this baby is going to survive,” Fraser said Wednesday.

    Calgary Herald Headline News Banner

    Sign up to receive daily news from the Calgary Herald, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

    By clicking the sign up button, you agree to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

    Thanks for subscribing!

    A welcome email is on its way. If you don’t see it, please check your junk folder.

    The next issue of Calgary Herald Headline News will be in your inbox soon.

    We encountered a problem signing you in. Please try again

    Article content

    “It was a roller coaster of joy and fear, happiness and sadness.”

    She was only able to hold her little daughter three days after her birth, she remembers.

    But during a news conference at the Foothills Medical Center campus, Scarlett, who arrived in August 2017 weighing 1.5 pounds and spent 113 days in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), like most other five-year-olds girls ran across the room.

    And her mother marveled at how other families will benefit from a host of donations, including a $10 million gift from the Taylor Family Foundation, which will build a much larger, better-equipped NICU at the medical center.

    “It means hope for families who feel like there is nothing. It means hope for babies like Scarlett to not only survive, but thrive,” said Fraser.

    Advertisement 3

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Article content

    The donation pushes the Calgary Health Foundation’s Newborns Need campaign to its $152-million finish line.

    Two to three years from now, the existing 38-bed NICU will be rebuilt to a 58-bed, Level-3 unit to serve a community and medical center where 10 percent of newborns require some degree of intensive care.

    This is 25 percent higher than the national average, Dr. Alixe Howlett, division chief of neonatology for Calgary, said.

    “We don’t really know why (admissions are higher) — if we did, we’d fix it,” Howlett said, adding that about 25 percent of newborns require long NICU stays.

    Dr.  Alixe Howlett, division chief of neonatology for Calgary, speaks at a media event announcing the $10 million donation from the Taylor Family Foundation.
    Dr. Alixe Howlett, division chief of neonatology for Calgary, speaks at a media event announcing the $10 million donation from the Taylor Family Foundation. Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia

    But given that demand, the 25-year-old NICU at the Foothills that now cares for 1,200 babies a year has become inadequate, health care providers say.

    Advertisement 4

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Article content

    “We are the second smallest NICU of its kind in Canada and we are one of the busiest, if not the busiest,” Howlett said.

    The funding for the new NICU will not only enable it to utilize the latest technology and best practices, it will improve neonatal research, Howlett said.

    “We know good research is good for babies and good for families,” she said.

    “We will have more space for research and education, and more space for families and their babies.”

    It’s crucial to understand the complexities of early brain development, which is as important from 28 weeks of gestation to full term as it is from birth to 18 years of age, Howlett said.

    The new NICU will also have improved lighting, noise control and other improved conditions essential to lower the stress levels of newborns, their parents and staff, the doctor said.

    Advertisement 5

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Article content

    It will also provide rooms where postpartum mothers can stay with their newborns, and family areas where parents and their older children can relax in a unit that will reduce the need to transfer babies to other sites.

    Construction will not disrupt ongoing neonatal care, the doctor said.

    “It’s a transformational gift that we’ve been given,” Howlett said of the donations, as donors Don and Ruth Taylor looked on.

    Don Taylor of Taylor Family Foundation speaks at the media event on Wednesday.
    Don Taylor of Taylor Family Foundation speaks at the media event on Wednesday. Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia

    Don Taylor, whose foundation has benefited various education and arts causes in Calgary and elsewhere, said he has never donated to a health care campaign in Calgary.

    And until recently, he didn’t know what the acronym NICU meant.

    “If I would have heard Scarlett’s story earlier, we could have made this donation faster,” Taylor said.

    “But it gives us a lot of satisfaction to be able to do that.”

    The development of the new NICU will also allow it to attract “the best and brightest medical professionals,” says Dr. Mark Anselmo, Calgary Zone medical director for AHS.

    Of the $152 million in funding, $38 million comes from the provincial government with another $66 million from the Calgary Health Foundation.

    BKaufmann@postmedia.com

    Twitter: @BillKaufmannjrn

    Share this article in your social network

    Advertisement 1

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Commentary

    Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourages all readers to share their opinions on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. We ask that you keep your comments relevant and respectful. We’ve enabled email notifications—you’ll now receive an email when you receive a reply to your comment, there’s an update to a comment thread you follow, or when a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

    Source link

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    yyctimes
    • Website

    Related Posts

    With economy on the rise, Alberta leads in interprovincial migration

    March 23, 2023

    Calgary Transit set to receive up to $32M for revenue shortfall

    March 23, 2023

    Braid: The Leader’s Dinner brings wads of cash to the UCP

    March 23, 2023

    Symend, one of Calgary’s top tech firms, cuts workforce by 25%

    March 23, 2023

    Smith addresses Calgary UCP supporters at Leader’s Dinner

    March 23, 2023

    Varcoe: Alberta trying to get energy companies to resolve unpaid taxes

    March 23, 2023

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Don't Miss
    yyctimes

    With economy on the rise, Alberta leads in interprovincial migration

    By yyctimesMarch 23, 2023

    Article content material Alberta had the best web interprovincial migration of any Canadian province on…

    Spruce Grove fundraising hockey game honours fallen Edmonton police officers

    March 23, 2023

    Calgary Transit set to receive up to $32M for revenue shortfall

    March 23, 2023

    Privacy commissioner investigating Alberta Energy Regulator over Kearl oilsands site leak

    March 23, 2023
    Our Picks

    With economy on the rise, Alberta leads in interprovincial migration

    March 23, 2023

    Spruce Grove fundraising hockey game honours fallen Edmonton police officers

    March 23, 2023

    Calgary Transit set to receive up to $32M for revenue shortfall

    March 23, 2023

    Privacy commissioner investigating Alberta Energy Regulator over Kearl oilsands site leak

    March 23, 2023

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from SmartMag about art & design.

    Our Picks

    With economy on the rise, Alberta leads in interprovincial migration

    March 23, 2023

    Spruce Grove fundraising hockey game honours fallen Edmonton police officers

    March 23, 2023

    Calgary Transit set to receive up to $32M for revenue shortfall

    March 23, 2023
    New Comments

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.