October 24, 2018

Neonatal Intensive Care Equipment Upgrade “A Big Miracle”

The addition of two new equipment pieces in Saskatoon’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is crossing off wish list items for newborn babies in our province. The additions were made possible thanks to two community organizations, Bloom in support of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (Bloom) and The Timken Foundation of Canton, supporting Saskatchewan newborns born too early, too ill or too small.

“The support flowing in for our province’s most vulnerable babies truly represents hope,” says Brynn Boback-Lane, President and CEO of Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation. “Thank you to those who give so generously to help fund these life-saving additions for our tiniest patients. Your support has created a big miracle for families on a journey towards healing with their newborn.”

Two critical pieces of equipment will be introduced into Saskatoon’s NICU: A ventilator, and an ultrasound system and console. The ultrasound system will be vital in diagnosing a newborn baby’s lung function faster and more accurately. The ventilator will equip Saskatchewan’s Neonatal Transport Team with high-grade technology for on-the-go emergency care for babies that need respiratory support. Because premature babies often struggle to breathe on their own, putting these two pieces of equipment into practice is extremely important to improve outcomes.

“The ventilator is a great addition to our state-of-the-art Neonatal Transport Service in Saskatchewan, it’s a key way to support lung function in fragile newborns,” says Neonatologist Dr. Sibasis Daspal. “To provide the best care to sick babies in the NICU, the ultrasound system will be used as a point of care device to assess vital organs such as the lungs and kidneys.”

The purchase of this new equipment is fully funded by a grant from the Timken Foundation of Canton secured by Bloom and funds previously donated by Bloom to Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation NICU designated account. Since 2012 Bloom has been raising money for the NICU with their largest fundraiser “An Evening of Love” taking place each May. To date, Bloom has donated over a quarter of a million dollars to support NICU enhancements, including the first-in-Canada NICView technology that allows families to watch over their baby remotely.

“We are thrilled that we can help the NICU provide the best possible care for fragile newborns. Our children were in the NICU, and we feel it is so important to give back to the unit,” says Amy Novakovski and Tina Searcy, Executive Directors of Bloom. “We are so thankful to everyone who supports Bloom each year making the purchase of this life-saving equipment possible.”

Set to open late next year, the new NICU will be located on the top floor of Saskatchewan’s new Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital. The 48-bed unit will allow families to stay together in one private room and be involved in every step of their baby’s healing journey. While their baby receives extra-special care, families will also have a dedicated sleep area to rest away from baby’s room while remaining close by.

ABOUT BLOOM

Bloom started in 2012 with moms having a special place in their hearts for the NICU, wanting to find a way to give back to the place that cared for, and saved their newborn babies. Bloom is now a non-profit, non-funded charity with the vision strictly remaining to raise funds for the Saskatoon NICU, which provides special care to newborns born too early, too ill or too small for all of Saskatchewan and beyond. These funds allow the Saskatoon NICU to purchase equipment or conduct training, which assists in providing the specialized care for newborns requiring NICU care.  Learn more at www.bloomnicu.com.

ABOUT JIM PATTISON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation is dedicated to raising funds for the enhancement of maternal and children’s health care in Saskatchewan and is the only charitable organization fundraising for the new Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital. In addition to raising a minimum of $75 million for the “We Can’t Wait” capital campaign, we grant over $1 million annually for urgent maternal and pediatric needs. We are the sole Saskatchewan member of Children’s Miracle Network, one of North America’s leading children’s charities. Learn more at www.pattisonchildrens.ca.