Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation

As the mist cleared and the sun rose for the first time all week the participants and their cheering sections began to arrive for the 2016 Shoppers Drug Mart LOVE. YOU. Run for Women. 

With the Lois Hole Hospital for Women as the beneficiary for the event Edmonton’s Sir Wilfrid Laurier Park quickly became a sea of purple.  Moms, dads, grandmas and grandpas, brothers, sisters, and even pets were spotted sporting the hospital’s signature colour in t-shirts, bandanas and buffs .

Brian Poon, District Manager for Shoppers Drug Mart in Edmonton was in attendance on race day.

“Here at Shoppers Drug Mart our commitment is to women’s health, and we have 15 cities supporting this run. Here in Edmonton our chosen charity is the Lois Hole Hospital supporting the reproductive mental health program at the facility. The reason why we are here today is to fulfil our commitment to women’s health across Canada” said Poon.      

And fulfil their commitment they did! Final tallies brought the race proceeds in at over $120,000. An incredible achievement, surpassing the previous year’s total by more than $20,000.   

The 2016 run marks the third year that Edmonton Shoppers Drug Mart locations have chosen to support Reproductive Mental Health initiatives at the Lois Hole Hospital for Women. The Reproductive Mental Health Program is integrated directly into the specialized women’s health clinics at hospital.  Funds from the Run for Women help to enhance the care that is provided to women suffering from postpartum depression and other reproductive mental health issues, such as those related to menopause, providing integrated and consolidated care that truly makes a difference.

Funding from the 2016 Run for Women will also continue to provide funding for a worldwide first pilot study, the IMPACT Study, happening at the Lois Hole Hospital for Women. The study is the first of its kind and includes online prenatal screening and a therapy component for mental health support during a woman’s perinatal period. The research is led by researcher Dr. Dawn Kingston. 

The support the Lois Hole Hospital for Women has received from Shoppers Drug Mart has allowed Dr. Kingston, now assistant professor at the University of Calgary, to run two studies that she says were prompted by an absence of routine prenatal screening for depression in Alberta. In fact, no province offers routine screening for prenatal depression or anxiety in pregnant women and Dr. Kingston has successfully made Alberta the first. 

Thanks to funds raised in previous Run for Women events and the 2016 run the IMPACT study has been able to screen, refer and offer an intervention for pregnant women so they can improve their emotional health during pregnancy and improve maternal and child outcomes after their delivery and into their child’s first years.

Well done Shoppers Drug Mart and all those who came to run it out, walk it out, and talk it out in support of Reproductive Mental Health at the Lois Hole Hospital for Women. 

To get a sense for what the day was all about please check out our recap video.