Category #closertohome Show all
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New birthing unit will be life-changing
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Dr. Greg Linton and his spruce-roots-style band Dr. Fishy are excited about fundraising for the REM Lee Hospital Foundation. As published on www.terracestandard.com on September 19, 2023New neonatal unit for Northwest BC will be life-changing for expectant mothers and newborns
Community support is essential to make the dream of the new NICU come true
A groundbreaking project to bring care closer to home for women and newborns with preterm or high-risk births will be life-changing for families in and around Terrace and Northwest B.C.
Led by the R.E.M. Lee Hospital Foundation, the "Closer to Home” campaign is raising funds toward the $14.5 million to add a new, four-bed, Tier 3 neonatal intensive care nursery (NICU) for the Mills Memorial Hospital replacement project, where construction is underway to create a new state-of-the-art hospital at double the current capacity.
The new NICU means vulnerable babies and anxious mothers, predominantly from Indigenous communities, will have access in and near their own communities and families, instead of leaving to receive care in Vancouver or Prince George.
It will offer the most current models of care for all high-risk, expectant women who walk through their doors. The Mills Memorial Hospital is also doubling its size with construction for a 78-bed hospital.
Currently, women with higher-risk pregnancies typically have to fly to Vancouver or Prince George to receive care and prepare for preterm deliveries, while their spouses and families often must stay back to care for the rest of the family in an already anxiety-filled situation. More than 75,000 people, including 40,000 in 28 area First Nations communities will benefit from the improvements to newborn care. The facility will be able to care for births as early as 34 weeks in regular cases and 32 weeks in emergencies, rather than the current 37 weeks.
“Infants, newborns are in a tender state. To have them go through the ordeal of being flown to Vancouver on a place when they should be cuddling with their Mom is harsh on a little one,” notes Ron Bartlett, a longtime Chair of the Dr. R.E.M. Lee Hospital Foundation .
Fundraising is underway
Fundraising for the new NICU kicked off on June 3rd, 2023, in conjunction with the Kitsumkalum Walk for Health event. Local Indigenous nations impacted include the Haida, Haisla, Kitselas, Kitsumkalum, Nisga’a and Tahltan nations. Others include surrounding areas from Atlin to Dease Lake, East to Smithers and Houston, and West to Prince Rupert including Haida Gwaii.
“It was phenomenal to be there with the Kitsumkalum Nation, and to have one of the nations served in this catchment area of 250,000 hectares help us kick off this NICU campaign, and highlight these incredible partnerships among nations and communities,” reflects Jeff Sodowsky, the Vice President of Global Philanthropic Canada, who is spearheading this campaign with a cabinet of dedicated volunteers and First Nations leaders from several communities.
Even a doctor, Dr. Greg Linton, and his spruce-roots style band called Dr. Fishy, are getting involved with this effort!
“When we heard about this $14.5 million Closer To Home project, we knew that we had a long way to go. So we contributed the $1,400 we raised to this event,” says band leader Linton, who gathered a large crowd at his home for an August fundraiser.
Local industries have also stepped up in the fundraising for the NICU, with Newcrest Mining making one of the campaign’s first gifts, Sodowsky says, but emphasizes that just as it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a community to build a special care nursery. All donations – large and small – are both welcome and needed in the community effort.
For more information and to support this crucial fundraising effort for the new NICU in Terrace, visit: remleehospitalfoundation.org/current-needs
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Terrace couple give largest personal donation in Foundation's history
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Lynn and Bryan Gascon in front of the Closer to Home campaign board at Mills Memorial Hospital. The Gascons, a Terrace couple well-known for their generosity, have made the largest ever personal contribution to the Dr. R.E.M Lee Hospital Foundation in the foundation's history.The undisclosed amount, announced this past weekend during Riverboat days in Terrace, will go to the 'Closer to Home' campaign to support Tier 3 level services in the birthing unit at the new Mills Memorial Hospital.
This is the second history-making contribution the Foundation has announced this year, with Newcrest Mining contributing $2 million, the largest donation the Foundation has ever received from any donor, to the same campaign. Kitselas First Nation has also donated $10,000, and the Foundation hopes others will jump on board and contribute to this great cause.
'Closer to Home' Campaign
The Closer to Home campaign is fundraising to increase the level of neonatal and maternal services from Tier 2 to Tier 3 in the new hospital in Terrace. There is no other facility that offers Tier 3 level services in the Northwest Health Services area.
Currently mothers and infants that need emergent care, must experience often stressful and weather-dependent medical evacuation to either Prince George (Tier 4) or Vancouver (Tier 6.) Having care closer to home means mothers and babies will be surrounded by the people they need and their families less burdened by the financial and emotional costs of travel and long-term stays in unfamiliar settings.
For more info about the Closer to Home campaign and the expanded neonatal and maternal services, check out the Closer to Home video and case study.
And a big thanks to the Gascons!
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Kitselas donates $10,000
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Kitselas First Nation has donated $10,000 to the Dr. R.E.M Lee's Foundation's 'Closer to Home' campaign to support Tier 3 level services in the birthing unit at the new Mills Memorial Hospital.Check out the local TV station CFTK News coverage of the generous donation.
This is the second major contribution since the campaign launched on June 3, 2023. The first donation was $2 million, the largest in the Foundation's history, from Newcrest Mining, which runs the Brucejack and Red Chris mines in Northwest BC.
The Closer to Home campaign is fundraising to increase the level of neonatal and maternal services from Tier 2 to Tier 3 in the new hospital in Terrace. There is no other facility that offers Tier 3 level services in the Northwest Health Services area.
Currently mothers and infants that need emergent care, must experience often stressful and weather-dependent medical evacuation to either Prince George (Tier 4) or Vancouver (Tier 6.) Having care closer to home means mothers and babies will be surrounded by the people they need and their families less burdened by the financial and emotional costs of travel and long-term stays in unfamiliar settings.
"This type of unit in the Terrace area would greatly benefit the whole region," said Kitselas Elected Chief Glenn Bennett, who is also helping with the fundraising campaign.
For more info about the Closer to Home campaign and the expanded neonatal and maternal services, check out the Closer to Home video and case study.
And a big thanks to Kitselas!
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'Closer to Home' campaign - video and case study
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Want to know more about the Dr. R.E.M Lee Foundation Closer to Home campaign? And why a Tier 3 level birthing unit at the new hospital in Terrace is so important for mothers, babies and all residents of Northwest BC?Watch the Closer to Home Video
Read the Closer to Home Case for Support
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REM Lee Foundation launches 'Closer to Home' fundraising campaign
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O
n June 3, the Dr. R.E.M. Lee Hospital foundation announced the largest fundraising campaign in its history to create a crucially needed Tier 3 level Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Special Care Nursery at the new hospital in Terrace.The need for such a facility is vitally important: over the last four years, 104 mothers with complicated or pre-term births were transferred from Mills Memorial Hospital (MMH) to facilities capable of a higher level of care. Sixty infants and their mothers made often hazardous journeys to other hospitals-with two-thirds of them leaving the region.
"Although not originally a part of the MMH rebuild, this is a once-in-a generation opportunity" said Foundation Chair Ron Bartlett, a member of the Kitsumkalum nation.
Dr. Anita Adlam, a pediatrician responsible for acute pediatric care at MMH, concurred, "If newborns need anything more than rooming in with their mum, we just don't have the capacity to look after them, and we often end up sending patients out to other facilities."
Currently mothers and infants that need emergent care, must experience often stressful and weather-dependent medical evacuation to either Prince George (Tier 4) or Vancouver (Tier 6.) Having care closer to home means mothers and babies will be surrounded by the people they need and their families less burdened by the financial and emotional costs of travel and long-term stays in unfamiliar settings.
MMH's level of neonatal and maternal services will increase from Tier 2 to Tier 3. There is no other facility that offers Tier 3 level services in the Northwest Health Services area.
"This project is an investment in Northwest B.C. families, the future of our First Nations communities and our young workers," said Bartlett. "Our fund raising committee members are committed, with your help, to achieving this vitally important goal."
Donate today!
Donations to the Dr. R.E.M. Lee Hospital Foundation in support of this project can be made by calling (250) 641-5526 or online at remleehospitalfoundation.org
Donations are tax-deductible, Charitable Registration Number 11923 0399 RR0001
The Dr. R.E.M. Lee Hospital Foundation, a volunteer charitable organization, was created in 1988 to raise funds in support of Mills Memorial Hospital and Terraceview Lodge. Our mandate is to increase and improve the provision of medical care to those who live in the area of Terrace, British Columbia, whether through direct medical services and facilities or medical and educational research which enhances those services and facilities.
Dr. REM Lee Foundation, Northern Health and Newcrest Mining representatives celebrate 'Closer to Home' campaign launch on June 3, 2023 at the Kitsumkalum Health Walk. -
Newcrest Mining donates $2 million to REM Lee Foundation's 'Closer to Home' campaign!
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Newcrest Mining Limited, one of the largest gold and copper mining companies in the world, has made a $2 Million gift to the Dr. R.E.M. Lee Foundation's Closer to Home fundraising campaign.
The company operates two mines, Brucejack and Red Chris, in the Northwest region of British Columbia, as well as offices in Smithers and Vancouver.
The Closer to Home campaign, announced on June 3, will raise $14.5 Million to add a Tier 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to the Mills Memorial Hospital (MMH) Replacement Project in Terrace, B.C.
The donation (the largest single gift in the history of the Foundation!) has been made possible through The Newcrest Sustainability Fund. The contribution reflects the Newcrest Sustainability Fund's vision of working in partnership with organizations around the world to deliver meaningful change, by investing in projects that are designed by the community for the community.
"We know the importance that MMH plays towards the health of our workers and their families and are grateful to be able to support better health outcomes for the region," noted Greg Norton, VP Government Relations & Social Performance (Western Canada). "The contribution to this new NICU is a commitment to how seriously we take the wellbeing of not only our employees and their families, but of the broader community as well."
'This unprecedented donation from Newcrest provides us with a solid foundation for our campaign. We cannot thank our friends at Newcrest enough for this a vote of confidence. The message is loud and clear: the health of the residents in our region matters," said Closer to Home Campaign Co-chair Dr. Geoff Appleton. "We are humbled and very grateful."
Donate today!
The Dr. R.E.M. Lee Hospital Foundation, a volunteer charitable organization, was created in 1988 to raise funds in support of Mills Memorial Hospital and Terraceview Lodge. Our mandate is to increase and improve the provision of medical care to those who live in the area of Terrace, British Columbia, whether through direct medical services and facilities or medical and educational research which enhances those services and facilities.
Donations to the Dr. R.E.M. Lee Hospital Foundation in support of this project can be made by calling (250) 641-5526 or online at remleehospitalfoundation.org
Donations are tax-deductible, Charitable Registration Number 11923 0399 RR0001
Greg Norton of Newcrest Mining Limited announces the company's incredible $2 million donation to the Closer to Home campaign. -
FAQ: Why was a Tier 3 level NICU not in the original hospital plans?
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The Tier 3 NICU and special care nursery are part of the birthing unit on Level 3.Mills Memorial Hospital currently provides maternal/fetal and neonatal services at the Tier 2 level.No Tier 3 service site currently exists in Northern Health’s Northwest Service Delivery Area, and patients are often transferred to UHNBC (Tier 4) in Prince George or BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital (Tier 6) in the Lower Mainland.
Tiers of Service guidelines were revised just recently (January 2020), after the MMH Replacement project business plan was approved and design began (May 2019), which means a Tier 3 level of service was not included in the project’s original business plan, nor current design or budget.
The demand for perinatal and neonatal services in Northwest BC is expected to meet Tier 3 service level, however.
For reference, Perinatal BC’s Tiers of Service provide parameters around maternal/fetal care and newborn care services. The designation tier level depends on the services available at a facility.
More info here: http://www.perinatalservicesbc.ca/Documents/Resources/SystemPlanning/TiersOfService/TiersofService.pdf
The primary drivers for the decision to pursue a Tier 3 designation are the nature and number of births, as well as local service considerations.
Support this important addition!
The Dr. R.E.M. Lee Hospital Foundation is a volunteer organization that raises funds in support of Mills Memorial Hospital and Terraceview Lodge in Terrace. On June 3, the Foundation announced the 'Closer to Home' campaign, which is aimed at raising money to cover the cost of the Tier 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Special Care Nursery at the new Mills Memorial Hospital.
Donate to the R.E.M Lee Foundation's 'Closer to Home' campaign by calling (250) 641-5526 or online at remleehospitalfoundation.org
Help support new mothers and babies in Northwest BC who need care 'Closer to Home'.
