St. Albert families got some reassuring news on Monday. Sturgeon Community Hospital will soon be able to treat premature and sick newborns.
Six new beds will allow infants to get the specialized care that they need with their moms close by rather than be transferred to Edmonton hospitals. Health Minister Sarah Hoffman was in St. Albert Monday to announce the $2.3 million government commitment for a neonatal unit at Sturgeon hospital. Meanwhile Stollery Children's Hospital, which will oversee the local unit, has pledged to raise $2.5 million to provide needed equipment for the unit.
These new beds will make a difference for some local families.
St. Albert mom Amber Kent said she recently experienced the need for a local neonatal unit. Her twin sons were born more than 10 weeks premature by emergency Caesarian section in Sturgeon Community Hospital. Kent said it was a scary time and she knew she should be in a neonatal unit. "Knowing the resources weren't here was a little terrifying," she said at the news conference on Monday.
Kent didn't even get to see her sons before they were whisked away to a neonatal care unit at an Edmonton hospital. She had to stay behind to recover from surgery. Eight hours later she was transferred to the Royal Alex neonatal unit to join her sons Caellum and Brodie. But in many cases those transfers don't happen for several days, adding distress for moms and babies.
Neonatal care is growing in importance. The rate of premature birth in Canada has been rising, which is attributed in part to an increase in older mothers. An estimated one in 12 babies is born prematurely in Canada, which is at least three weeks early. Not every baby will need specialized care, but it is often difficult to predict when they will.
Babies who are born prematurely may not be able to eat, breathe or maintain their body heat on their own.
Sick and very premature infants need specialized care that can include warming units, breathing assistance and tube-feeding. The new unit will provide the equipment and care these babies need and will allow moms to stay close to their babies.
It is bad enough when your baby is born sick or in distress. It is heart-wrenching when babies and moms have to be separated at a critical time for both. Keeping babies and moms together improves health outcomes for babies.
Last year the Sturgeon Hospital saw just under 3,000 births with around 100 babies having to be transported to neonatal units in Edmonton.
An estimated 3,500 babies are expected to be born at Sturgeon hospital this year. Having a neonatal unit on site will improve the care for those babies and their families. St. Albert, like all communities, wants young families and we want them to get the best care locally, without having to go to Edmonton. The new beds are an investment in our community, both for the present and the future.
