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Variety Continues Support of Families in Need

By Thank You!

Thank you to the Variety – The Children’s Charity of BC for their recent commitment of $9,000 to support children and their families who must travel to Nanaimo to receive medical care at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. No family should ever face a financial burden so their child can get the medical care they need. Grants from Variety help lower income families cover travel costs so they can focus on supporting their child and not worrying about how to pay the bills.

The grants help cover the costs of accommodation, food, transportation and specialty items such as car seats for premature babies. Their generosity helps many families each year and, to date, Variety has donated over $750,000 to support better healthcare for children living in Central Vancouver Island! We are so very grateful.

Photo: Members of the Perinatal, NICU and Paediatric Departments at NRGH. Front row: Pat, Deborah, Shannon, Alix, Wendy & Colleen. Back row: Carolyn, Trina, Vanessa, Kathy, Alesha, Lizzy, Cassidy & Emily

Coin Drive at Woodgrove Centre until Boxing Day

By News

Coin Drive for Charity on now until December 26th in support of paediatric care at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital! Take your spare change to Woodgrove Centre and all funds collected will be donated to the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation and used towards medical equipment and patient comfort items to help care for the hospital’s littlest of patients. Visit www.woodgrovecentre.com for all their holiday activities.

1,000 Teddy Bears for NRGH!

By Thank You!

Thank you to Sands Funeral Chapel – Nanaimo for their generous donation of Teddy bears! They have committed to donating 1,000 throughout the year with the first 250 arriving just recently. They will provide much comfort to many children receiving medical care at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

Photo: Sarah Smith, Laura McKinnon & Wendy Douglas, Sands Funeral Chapel

Starlight & Toys “R” Us Support Kids in Hospital

By Thank You!

The Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation is grateful to once again receive $2,000 from the Toys “R”Us | Babies“R”Us Canada grant program! The funds will help stock the Treasure Chest in the Paediatrics Department at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH). The Treasure Chest toys provide a much-needed distraction for children of all ages, from toddlers to teens, while they receive medical care at the hospital. The toys can help patients face the stress of treatment or alleviate the boredom of waiting for the next appointment.

In the past year, thanks to Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada and Toys“R”Us | Babies“R”Us Canada , NRGH has also received a Hospital Grant, Comfort Kits, Baby Kits, Baby & Toddler Kits, NICU/PICU Resources and other support for NRGH patients and their families. It would not be possible to provide all of these items without their funding. Their contributions are a valuable component of patient comfort and care for our young patients at NRGH.

The Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation is among 85 charities who received funding from the Toys“R”Us | Babies“R”Us Canada grant program to support distractive entertainment for hospitalized children. Nationally, tens of thousands of seriously ill and hospitalized children will benefit through other grant programs including the distribution of 7,000 Emergency Room Admit Kits; 10,000 Baby & Toddler Kits; and equipment for 100 NICU/PICU’s across Canada. Learn more about these and other incredible programs on Starlight’s website at https://www.starlightcanada.org/our-programs/

All of this is possible due the commitment and effort of Toys“R”Us and Starlight. Since introducing their fundraising program during 1998’s holiday season, Toys“R”Us Canada has been able to raise more than $20 million dollars for Starlight, supporting hundreds of thousands of during that time! In 2019, the eleventh year of the TRU grant program, over $1,000,000 has been distributed to hospitals across Canada.

Thank you Toys“R”Us | Babies“R”Us Canada and Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada for your generosity and support!

Investing in Nurse Education

By Medical Staff Education
Ongoing education is an important component of patient care. The Hospital Foundation is delighted to share an update on our latest investment in education for our amazing paediatric nursing staff at NRGH.
“I would like to thank the Nanaimo Hospital Foundation for their generosity in supplying 8 tickets for Nurses to attend this year’s Parent Child Conference in Nanaimo. This is the first year it was opened up to nursing and we were well represented thanks largely to the Foundation.
The topics and speakers were phenomenal. There were two fully packed days with talks from the role of antimicrobials in Asthma, harm reduction, implementing skin to skin contact at caesarian births, antibiotic use during pregnancy and lactation, hyperglycemia in Newborns to name only a few. All of the topics were so relevant to our every day practice and were well received and attended by our perinatal staff and providers from all over Vancouver Island.
We had 16 nurses total attend the conference 8 of those tickets were funded by the Foundation. Each of those staff are sharing the knowledge they gained with their peers who were unable to attend so our whole team has benefited.” Trina Knight, Manager, NRGH
Left front: Elizabeth O’Keef-Batta, Erin MacDonald, Pam Gardiner, Kathy Clark, Elizabeth Carlson, Joelle Pattern
Left back: Juanita Parsonage, Kristina Maguire, Melissa Gasson, Iris Halbach, Katherine Robinson, Alisha Pelletier, Trina Knight
Missing in the photo : Janice Bertoia, Jennifer Duncan and Jenny Williams

Purple Hats for Newborns

By Thank You!

Thank you to the Parksville Qualicum Retired Teacher’s Association members who knitted these adorable hats for new babies at NRGH! They will help keep the babies comfortable and warm through the upcoming chilly months.

Photo: Janice Perrino, CEO, Hospital Foundation & Barb Brett, Parksville Qualicum Retired Teacher’s Association

Baby Sim

By News, Thank You!

There are incredible teaching tools available to hospitals and Sim Baby is one of them! This advanced simulator is incredible – different scenarios can be programmed via laptop to simulate real-life health issues and the baby reacts accordingly. From variable heart rates and stomach distention to limb movement and vocalizations, the medical staff training on the Sim Baby are able to practice complicated scenarios with realistic feedback so they can provide even better care for the littlest of our patients.

Due to the generosity of a donor, the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation was able to fund the Baby Sim for the Paediatric Department. The department hosted a “baby shower” complete with cake to celebrate the addition of this state of the art teaching device and to thank the donor!

Sim Baby

There are very advanced teaching tools available for medical professionals to ensure they can provide the best care possible to patients of all ages. This Sim Baby is just one example. It is so advanced, they can program different scenarios via a laptp that enable nurses and doctors to practice advanced techniques and the "baby" will react to the treatment they are giving it. From variable heart rates, change in skin colour, vocalizations, limb movement, stomach distention and so much more, Sim Baby is incredible. Due to the generousity of a donor, the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation was able to fund the Sim Baby!

Posted by Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation on Friday, September 13, 2019

$3.8 Million for Healthcare

By Thank You!

Due to the generosity of many donors, the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation was able to commit to over $3.8 million in funding to NRGH and the other care facilities it supports in the last fiscal year! The donations help fund medical equipment, patient comfort items, staff education and large projects such as the cardiac expansion at NRGH and Oceanside.

Read about some of the highlights over the past year on our news feed.

Thank you also to Dr. Rudston-Brown who was our guest speaker at our recent donor event where the photo was taken. He spoke about the importance of access to colonoscopies, why they are integral to our long-term health and the impact the new procedural suite in the Endoscopy Department at NRGH will have once it is built. Read about the colonoscopy campaign here.

Photo: Janice Perrino, CEO, Hospital Foundation; Dr. Blair Rudston Brown, Chief of Staff, NRGH; Sarah Sheridan, Temporary Director – Special Projects Surgical Services, NRGH; Moira Jenkins, Vice Chair, Hospital Foundation Board; Marci Ekland, Site Director, NRGH; Dr. Ben Williams, Executive Medical Director, GEO 2

Foundation Supports New Milk Depot at NRGH

By News

Nursing mothers in the Nanaimo area have a new resource to help support babies in need, by donating their milk.  Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH) has become an official Donor Milk Collection Depot for BC Women’s Provincial Milk Bank, located at BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre in Vancouver.

A Donor Milk Collection Depot provides a space for women to drop off their raw, frozen breast milk, which is transported to the Provincial Milk Bank. The milk is then pasteurized and distributed to Neonatal Intensive Care Units across the province.

The Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation is providing more than $13,000 in funding for the purchase of two medical freezers and a waterless milk warmer for the Breast Milk Depot at NRGH.

“We agreed to fund this project without hesitation as it is essential that all babies get the best start in life possible,” said Janice Perrino, CEO, Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation. “We are delighted we can contribute to the establishment of the Breast Milk Depot at NRGH due to the support of our generous donors.”

Prior to the new Milk Depot, an order for milk had to be done for each individual baby in the NICU at NRGH. Now they will be able to make a single order that will supply milk for multiple babies. Plus, with the new freezers, a supply can be on-hand at all times with re-orders made as needed when supply is low.

New programs such as this require the input and support of many partners. The Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation is delighted to be one of the partners along with NRGH, Island Health and BC Women’s Hospital Provincial Milk Bank.

“This new depot gives more women on Vancouver Island the opportunity to help fragile babies get the nutrients they need from breast milk,” says Leah Hollins, Island Health Board Chair. “Island Health is proud to provide this service at a second location.”

“Opening the NRGH Donor Milk Collection Depot is made possible through Unit leadership, support from the Hospital Foundation and interest from women in the community,” said Erin O’Sullivan, Island Health Perinatal Program Development Lead. “Promoting and protecting breastfeeding and breast milk as the optimal choice for infant nutrition is a key to supporting healthy moms and babes; especially, the tiniest babies.”

“We are so happy to have a place for Central Island women to drop off their milk once they are approved donors,” said Juanita Parsonage, Nurse Clinician, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital. “This will give more women the opportunity to donate, making it easier for them and, in turn, the most fragile babies in the province will be able to access donor milk.”

BC Women’s Hospital launched the Provincial Milk Bank in 1974.  Since then it has processed more than 2-million ounces of milk, helping tens of thousands of babies across the province.

“BC Women’s rely on partnerships such as Island Health to provide donor milk to the sickest babies across BC,” says Frances Jones, BC Women’s Provincial Milk Bank coordinator. “We’re so pleased with the opening of the new depot, which will allow Nanaimo area moms to donate and further increases access to families in need.”

Donors must complete the Provincial Milk Bank’s pre-screening process before they can donate their milk at the Nanaimo Milk Depot at NRGH.  Screening consists of a brief telephone interview to confirm potential donors are in good health, not taking select medications and/or supplements, and willing to undergo blood testing.

The BC Women’s Hospital Provincial Milk Bank is looking for donors.  Women interested in becoming an approved breast milk donor can contact: 604-875-3743 or visit http://www.bcwomens.ca/our-services/labour-birth-post-birth-care/milk-bank/donating-milk

Top Photo: Kristina Maguire, Iris Halbach, Juantia Parsonage, Trina Knight, Frances Jones, Emily Vanwaes

Bottom Photo: One of the Milk Depot Freezers

Your Impact

By Thank You!

Throughout the year, the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation provides funding for a wide variety of equipment and patient comfort items for NRGH, Oceanside Health Centre in Parksville and three care facilities.

With the generous support of individual, corporate and community donors, here are some of the items the Hospital Foundation has been able to fund. Click on the linked items below to learn more and visit our news feed or our Facebook page regularly for more updates as they happen.

The Hospital Foundation also funds continuing education so medical staff have access to the latest knowledge and techniques to improve patient care. Recently funded courses:

Top Photo: RN’s in the Advanced Cardiac course

Top Left: Dr.Nataranjan with an Echocardiograph Ultrasound Unit

Middle Left: O.R. Teaching Mannequin

Bottom Left: RN’s Laura Miskulin & Sheri Shanahan with the new NICU Washer and Dryer