Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation

The newly established Family Care Unit serves as a transitional care option for families who have been a part of the Stollery Children’s Hospital neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. It officially opened March 15, 2016.

Attending the event was Associate Health Minister of Alberta, Brandy Payne.  

“THE FAMILY CARE UNIT PROVIDES A WONDERFUL SPACE FOR PARENTS TO BOND WITH THEIR NEWBORN BABIES,” SAYS PAYNE, WHO IS PREGNANT HERSELF, AND ANXIOUSLY ANTICIPATING THE BIRTH OF HER SECOND CHILD. “THIS ADDITION TO THE LOIS HOLE HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN WILL HELP GIVE SOME OF OUR NEWEST ALBERTANS THE BEST POSSIBLE START IN LIFE.” 

The innovative unit is home to nine NICU beds for newborns who are close but not quite ready for discharge from hospital and therefore require less intensive care. The less intensive care option provides infants and parents (who also have beds), access to hospital staff while, at the same time, supports the establishment of infant and parent attachment. A vital part of every infant’s early days. 
A message of welcome and a brief introduction by Stollery Unit Manager Karen Pelletier kicked off the afternoon’s event and the crowd shared a laugh as Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation President and CEO Andrew Otway remarked upon the late start due to “all of the baby snuggles that were happening with Minister Payne.” 

Parents Jean-Michel Cyr and Jessica Pott were among the first families to use the new unit. Their twins Olivia and Henry, initially only three pounds when born, were immediately transferred to the NICU. Now both over five pounds and strong enough to make the move, the twins were relocated to the new Family Care Unit. 

Unlike the high-intensity NICU where there is only a chair at the bedside, The  Family Care Unit in the Lois Hole Hospital has large patient care rooms equipped with breastfeeding chairs and adult beds for comfortable sleepovers for the parents. 

The new space also frees up critical NICU beds to those babies who’ve just been born and need to be care for there. Each year, more than 1,100 babies are admitted to the Stollery NICU at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.

The Family Care Unit was created as a result of donor support to the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation and Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. As always, donor support makes a significant difference in the lives of patients and their families.

“BECAUSE OF THIS NEW UNIT OUR FAMILY IS ABLE TO STAY TOGETHER AS THE TWINS CONTINUE TO RECEIVE THE CARE THEY REQUIRE. WE’RE ALMOST READY TO GO HOME AND WE’RE VERY EXCITED TO MAKE THIS TRANSITION WHEN THE BABIES ARE ABLE TO DO SO,” SAYS POTT.

Beyond parents expressing their appreciation for the option to remain with their infants at all times, the infants themselves are showing excellent results of the care option as well. Physicians are observing early results that appear to indicate breastfeeding success rates are potentially three times better for babies staying in the Family Care Unit than for those infants in the NICU. The success rates are likely a direct result of the continuous contact and availability of the mother to the infant, proving the importance of the parent-child attachment process at this very young age.

 

 

“THE LOIS HOLE HOSPITAL FOR WOMEN IS  SETTING NEW STANDARDS IN PATIENT CARE BY OFFERING FAMILY-CENTRED CARE WHERE DADS OR OTHER SUPPORT PERSONS ARE WELCOME TO STAY AS WELL,“ SAYS OTWAY, “THE FAMILY CARE UNIT BUILDS A CRITICAL BRIDGE FOR PARENTS AND THEIR NEWBORNS TO TRANSITION FROM HOSPITAL TO HOME AND WE COULD NOT BE MORE PROUD OF THE PROGRAM.”