Enhanced Healthcare for Premature and Ill Newborns

KELOWNA, BC – A generous donation of $25,760 from the Rexall Foundation will allow Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) to purchase an urgently needed Neonatal Cardiac Respiratory Monitor. This state-of-the-art medical device will allow physicians and other medical staff to have a constant view of the vital signs, heartbeat and breathing of premature and ill babies in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Thanks to the Rexall Foundation donation, KGH now has enhanced ability to safely care for premature newborns, so that parents will no longer have to travel to distant centres, such as Vancouver or Calgary, to seek urgently needed medical treatment for their babies. “We are so proud that our donation will play a role in ensuring Kelowna General Hospital’s smallest patients are able to receive the best possible care, to help them grow and develop, in this formative time of their lives,” said Brian McLaughlin, President, Rexall Foundation.

Audra Britton, a new mother who gave birth to her son Cole on May 2, 2014, deeply appreciates the value of the upgraded NICU at KGH. “Cole was born six weeks premature with congenital heart disease and a serious heart defect. We were so worried and frightened. We thought we’d have to be airlifted to a hospital in Vancouver. But thanks to the amazing staff and improved neonatal services at KGH, my little boy was able to receive the treatment he needed right here in Kelowna. Being able to stay in town was a blessing because it meant we were close to our home and my husband could continue working and come see us after his day was done. I remember hearing radio advertisements about fundraisers for the NICU at KGH, but it wasn’t until this recent experience that I realized its importance. I will be forever grateful for the support and care we received at KGH and I will always be thankful for those who make donations to keep it going.”

The Neonatal Cardiac Respiratory Monitor will be located in the NICU in the new Interior Heart & Surgical Centre (IHSC) currently being built on the campus of Kelowna General Hospital. KGH Foundation is extremely grateful to the Rexall Foundation for its generosity and commitment to helping improve the health of newborn children in Kelowna and other communities across Canada.

Kelowna General Hospital Foundation is an independent, volunteer-driven charitable organization committed to enhancing the delivery of healthcare to the patients of Kelowna General Hospital
and its associated facilities.