Thursday, 09. September 2010

Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation Vice President Stephen Boyd, Dr. Louis Francescutti and Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation President & CEO Andrew Otway receive a $250,000 cheque from CN Chief Transportation & Safety Officer Paul Miller at the April 22 Speaking of Health lecture.

The April 22 Speaking of Health lecture was a special one for the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation. The Foundation was happy to announce a very generous gift from CN Rail which will facilitate research into the health issues and needs of Edmonton’s inner city population with a special focus on children’s health. Paul Miller, Chief Transportation and Safety Officer for CN, spoke briefly to the audience and presented a cheque for $250,000.

With this donation, CN and the Royal Alexandra Hospital have created the CN Injury Prevention Lecture Series featuring prominent Edmonton physician and safety expert Dr. Louis Francescutti.

“We are delighted to partner with CN in this lecture series, and we are thrilled that CN has named the Royal Alexandra Hospital as a charity of choice for this very special project.” said Andrew Otway, President and CEO of the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation. “We are also delighted that these CN-sponsored lectures on injury prevention will attract a whole new audience to our already popular Speaking of Health series.”

"Safety is a core principle at CN," says Paul Miller, CN’s Chief Safety and Transportation Officer. "We have a strong history of working to promote health and safety, near railway tracks and in our communities, in playgrounds, in homes and schools across our system. We’re proud to partner with the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation to raise the overall safety."

CN’s donation extends past these lecture series and will fund a future study of inner city health, focusing on the health needs of the children most affected by unemployment and homelessness.

Dr. Francescutti, an emergency physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and the Northeast Community Centre in Edmonton, is an internationally regarded expert on injury control. He was recently named president-elect of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.  In addition, Dr. Francescutti is a judge of the CN Safer Alberta Awards, an annual initiative honouring community and youth safety programs across the province.

Dr. Francescutti delivered a dynamic and captivating lecture, entitled Keeping Youth Safe in the Workplace, to an appreciative crowd. "Safety in the workplace is more than just telling people to wear their safety helmets and goggles," said Dr. Francescutti. "Responsible employers will realize that there are a wide variety of issues that lead to unsafe working conditions and will do their best to help their employees out."

The CN-sponsored series will add a new and exciting dimension and attract new audiences previously unaware of Speaking of Health. "Our Speaking of health lecture series has become a must-attend event for many Edmontonians,” says Andrew Otway, President and CEO of the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation. "Attendees leave our lectures armed with new and vital information on a variety of health topics, and they continue to tell us how grateful they are for this service."

The next CN-sponsored lecture, as well as the rest of the Speaking of Health series, will be announced in the fall.

Thursday, 09. September 2010

Full House Lottery launched its 17th consecutive year on April 15 in the fabulous 2010 grand prize homes. Nearly 110 guests, including Foundation representatives and supporters, gathered to celebrate the grand premiere and tour the dream homes. This year, Albertans will be showing their heart by helping to heal someone else’s. Proceeds from the Lottery will battle heart disease – the leading cause of death among Canadians.

Proceeds from Full House Lottery will support a specially-equipped Cardiac Hybrid Operating Room at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, located at the University of Alberta Hospital site. “Advancements in technology evolve very rapidly, and community support is vital in ensuring cardiac patients continue to benefit from the highest level of care. A hybrid operating room will greatly expand treatment options for high risk patients with complex and often life-threatening heart conditions,” says Joyce Mallman Law, President of the University Hospital Foundation.

The Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation will also direct lottery funds towards the purchase of new and cutting-edge technology in the C.K. Hui Heart Centre. A Computerized Hemodynamic Monitoring System will be installed into the Defibrillator Implant Theatre to provide cardiologists the ability to perform multidimensional assessment of patients during surgery. “With over 50,000 patients visiting the Hospital every year with heart-related problems, this crucial technology will increase the chance of excellent outcome for patients through extremely advanced and precise monitoring,” says Andrew Otway, President and CEO of the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation.

Since its inception, the Full House Lottery has raised over $42 million to support the Royal Alexandra Hospital and the University of Alberta Hospital.  As leading clinical and research centres, these facilities provide advanced services in the areas of cardiac care, women’s health, neonatal intensive care, transplantation, orthopedics and trauma care.

Ticket holders will be competing for 6,290 prizes totaling over $6.4 million, including 10 luxury prize vehicles and a $341,715 early bird prize vacation condo in Osoyoos, British Columbia. Most notable in this year’s prize listing and new to any lottery in Canada is the addition of a celebrity experience package that entails a day with one of the top chefs in the world - Chef Gordon Ramsay from the widely known reality TV shows Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares. One lucky winner will have the opportunity to spend a day with Chef Ramsay in Edmonton shopping at the market, getting cooking lessons and enjoying a personally prepared meal. To conclude the day, the winner with up to seven friends will dine with Chef Ramsay at one of Edmonton’s premier restaurants. The early bird deadline for ticket sales is June 3, 2010.

For complete information, please visit www.fullhouse.ca

Thursday, 09. September 2010

A major fundraising effort by three health foundations called the Campaign for Prostate Health was given another financial shot in the arm after Sorrentino’s Restaurant Group announced that more than $200,000 was raised at this year’s Garlic Stomp and Big Garlic Night.

Both signature events were held during the annual Garlic Festival, a month-long celebration and homage to Sorrentino’s restaurants’ number one cooking ingredient. For the fourth straight year, the festival, organized annually by restaurateurs Carmelo and Stella Rago and the Saccomanno Family, was a major fundraiser for the largest men’s health campaign in central and northern Alberta’s history, led by volunteers from the Alberta Cancer Foundation, Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation, and University Hospital Foundation.

“We’re thrilled that our event has raised an additional $200,000 for the Campaign for Prostate Health. Obviously a lot of people contributed to the success of this event and we want to thank them. This campaign has captured the attention of our city and a lot of people are getting behind it — this was evident by the sold out event,” says Carmelo.

Sponsorship plays a huge role in the annual Garlic Stomp event and according to Carmelo and Stella, this year’s title sponsor, B&B Demolition, owned by Bill and Grace Knight, was a major reason for this year’s success.

“We owe this company a huge thank you for its involvement,” says Stella Rago. “Bill and Grace are an example of everything that is dynamic and caring about Edmonton businesses. We are fortunate to have them on board.”

The Campaign for Prostate Health has so far raised more than $22 million in its $26 million goal. Proceeds will support ongoing cancer research and a rapid access clinic that will provide fast access to treatment for men upon diagnosis. The campaign will also help to support a state-of-the-art urological centre to better serve men from central and northern Alberta with prostate disease and prostate cancer.

Speaking on behalf of the campaign leadership team, Edmonton community leader C.J. Woods says the success of the month-long Garlic Festival and the amount of money raised so far is indicative of Edmonton’s support for the creation of a rapid access clinic.

“More than anything else, the need for a rapid access clinic is really resonating with Edmonton and area men.  When three of northern Alberta’s largest health foundations come together on a project like this, and when Edmontonians embrace it like they have, you know it’s needed and you know it’s vitally important.”

“Prostate Cancer, which affects one in seven men in his lifetime, is officially on the radar like it has never been before, and we have people like Stella, Carmelo and the Rago and Saccomanno Families to thank for that,” continued Woods.  “The money this event has raised is absolutely fantastic, but you can’t put a value on the benefits of raising awareness. We’re pleased that Sorrentino’s Restaurant Group is committed to continuing to do both.”

Thursday, 09. September 2010

The spring 2010 Speaking of Health lecture series was another great success for the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation.

Speaking of Health – a free public lecture series presented twice a year by the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation – has been very popular with the public since it began more than 15 years ago. Featuring informative lectures from some of Canada’s foremost healthcare experts, Speaking of Health provides people with valuable information about a variety of health topics.

The four lectures in April were all very well attended, including the largest Speaking of Health audience yet (340) for the April 15 lecture Dealing with Dementia, presented by Dr. Kathy Lechelt. Total attendance at the lectures was more than 700 people. The other popular sessions were Celiac Disease on April 8, presented by Dr. Robert Bailey, and Ethical End of Life Decision Making, presented by Gary Goldsand on April 29.

The April 22 Speaking of Health lecture was a special one for the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation. Entitled Keeping Youth Safe in the Workplace, it was presented by Dr. Louis Francescutti, an emergency room physician at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and a well-known advocate for public safety. Before Dr. Francescutti’s dynamic lecture, the Foundation was very happy to announce a very generous gift from CN Rail. Their contribution will facilitate research into the health issues and needs of Edmonton’s inner city population with a special focus on children’s health. Paul Miller, Chief Transportation and Safety Officer for CN, spoke briefly to the audience and presented a cheque for $250,000.

“We are delighted to partner with CN in this lecture series, and we are thrilled that CN has named the Royal Alexandra Hospital as a charity of choice for this very special project.” said Andrew Otway, President and CEO of the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation. “We are also delighted that these CN-sponsored lectures on injury prevention will attract a whole new audience to our already popular Speaking of Health series.”

Planning for the fall 2010 Speaking of Health lecture series is already underway. “We get a lot of helpful feedback from our audiences, and that helps us plan future lectures,” said Michael Chevalier, Communications Officer with the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation. “Speaking of Health is very popular with the public and so we’re always keen to hear about what topics people would like to attend and how we can improve things in the future.”

Due to popular demand, the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation is looking into ways to make more Speaking of Health materials available on the Foundation website in the future. Watch for more information on the fall 2010 Speaking of Health series on the website in September.

Thursday, 09. September 2010

SoundEar Signs Mean Silence is Golden in NICU

Gabriel and Erryn Suen and their daughter Isabelle pose with one of the SoundEar signs that was purchased with their generous donation to the Royal Alexandra Hospital's NICU.

Parents and their fragile newborns will have some added safety at the Stollery Children's Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Royal Alexandra Hospital site, thanks to a generous donor gift to the NICU.

SoundEar noise meters are designed to measure the sound level in a room and give warnings when things get too loud. Premature babies are particularly sensitive to sound and so the SoundEar signs are proving to be extremely helpful as parents take care of their babies during their first delicate weeks.

When sound levels are acceptable, the SoundEar sign stays green. When sound levels approach a danger threshold, the sign turns orange. Once things get too loud, the sign turns red, an obvious warning to quiet things down. Sound levels in an average quiet room are around 40 decibels; adult conversation ranges from 45 to 65 decibels. Recommended average sound levels in the NICU are about 40 decibels, so that routine tasks such as opening a baby's chart or moving a chair have to be done with caution.

"A premature baby is supposed to be in the womb, listening to the sounds of his mother's voice and body" explains Dr. Juzer Tyebkhan, Neonatologist at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and Associate Clinical Professor with the Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta. "The development of the baby's brain and its connections with the senses requires gentle, modulated stimulation within the protection of the mother's womb. The NICU bombards the baby with loud, chaotic noise which doesn't allow restful sleep. And when awake, this level of noise makes it almost impossible for a baby to focus on their parents' voices. If we don't try to reduce this loud, chaotic noise, we are not helping premature baby brain development. The SoundEar is one method to remind everyone in the NICU that ‘silence is golden'."

The SoundEar signs were made possible by a gift to the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation from Dr. Gabriel Suen and his wife Erryn. In the spring of 2009, the Suens were expecting their second child, due in the summer, when Erryn went into labour after only 27 weeks. Their daughter Rebecca was born at the Misericordia Hospital and then sent to the Royal Alexandra Hospital's NICU for stabilization.

The Suens spent four weeks in the NICU hoping that the fragile Rebecca would be alright. "It all happened so quickly," says Gabriel. "We spent a month of just living day to day with Rebecca, doing all we could. She reached a point where she was getting better but then she went into septic shock and passed away."

Though grieving, Gabriel explains that he and his wife were inspired to make a donation to the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation after they sensed a need for some perks at the NICU. "For a month, we spent every waking moment here. That was tough, but we had a lot of support and help from our families. But we realized that not everyone has those resources and decided it would be nice if the NICU had a few things that were missing."

"There are a lot of things that the NICU would love to have in order to make the unit as comfortable as possible for newborns and their parents," explains Anne Dixon, Manager, Northern Alberta Neo Natal Program, Alberta Health Services. "So we keep a wish list of items and the Suens' donation allowed us to cross a few items off that list, which is wonderful. We're very grateful for their support."

Besides the SoundEar signs, the Suens' donation enabled the Royal Alex NICU to purchase some useful medical items, including a Creamatocrit system (a machine that analyzes the content of a mother's breast milk) and six refrigerators used for storing breast milk. Also made possible was the purchase of a digital camera along with an ink jet printer so that families can have high quality photos of their newborns. Finally, for the younger members of their families, some toys were purchased. "Our little daughter Isabelle needed some distractions when she came to visit," laughs Erryn. "So we're happy that they have some toys."

Gabriel and Erryn are now expecting another child.