Expectant mothers and families will benefit from single-room maternity care and the additional newborn intensive care beds opened today by Health Minister George Abbott at the new perinatal / neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.
?The birth of a baby is a special event that deserves a safe and appropriate level of care in a welcoming environment, as close to home as possible,? said Abbott. ?In addition to being more sensitive to the needs of the new family, this new unit includes four additional NICU beds for newborn infants, which will assist in reducing the number of transfers of moms and babies off Vancouver Island.?
The perinatal unit, adjacent to the hospital?s main entrance, connects to the $23-million surgical suites that opened in 2005. The new unit includes 15 labour/birth/recovery/postpartum rooms, four antepartum beds, three triage beds and a nine-bed, level-two, neonatal intensive care nursery. The unit provides a physical environment that meets current federal and provincial standards for maternity care and infection control.
The new unit increases the number of neonatal intensive care beds from five to nine ? allowing a higher level of care ? so that some seriously ill babies can stay at NRGH rather than being transferred to Victoria General Hospital or BC Children?s Hospital.
?The new, modern maternity unit is great news for central Island families,? said Nanaimo-Parksville MLA Ron Cantelon. ?More moms will experience single-room maternity care with their newborns thanks to these renovations, allowing women to go through labour, delivery and post-birth care all in the same room.?
The $16.5-million project provides private rooms, each equipped with all the necessary birth supplies and medical equipment. This new family-centered maternity care is cost-shared by the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) through grants from the Ministry of Health, the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District and the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation.
?VIHA recognizes the significant role Nanaimo Regional General Hospital plays as a regional referral centre for central and northern Vancouver Island,? said VIHA board chair Jac Kreut. ?This new unit and expanded programs will serve our population into the future, and will play a key role in providing a high level of maternity care.?
?Our Regional District is growing, and with that comes a growing need for enhanced health care at our regional general hospital,? said Joe Stanhope, chair of the Nanaimo Regional Hospital District. ?This perinatal/neonatal intensive care unit and the new NRGH surgical facility are of great benefit to our citizens. The Nanaimo Regional Hospital District is proud to have contributed over $5 million to these key patient care improvements.?
?The show of support from donors has been outstanding for this new unit at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital,? noted Paul Sadler, board chair of the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation. ?Two million dollars has been raised to help provide excellent health care for young families on central Vancouver Island. Thank you for making our hospital your place to give.?
British Columbia?s health system will benefit from more investments like the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital perinatal facility over the next three years, as part of government?s $2.1-billion health sector capital plan.