It is going to be a lot more comfortable giving birth at Canmore General Hospital now… well, at least for the dads.
The Canmore Hospital Ladies Auxiliary, together with the Canmore and Area Health Care Foundation, announced recently funds raised over Christmas totaling $160,000 have been used to purchase equipment for the labour and delivery rooms.
While the two organizations are separate, they each raise money for the same purpose, to benefit Canmore Hospital.
President of the Auxiliary Dorothy Ford said funds will be used to purchase a birthing bed and sleeper sofa.
The sofa allows family to provide support to expectant mothers during delivery by giving them a place to rest as well.
Hospital manager Barb Shellian pointed out in 2004 there were 95 births at the Canmore Hospital, whereas in 2010 there were 245 births, an increase of 250 per cent.
“The birthing beds, fetal monitors, infant warmers and resuscitation units are well-used throughout the year,” she said. “We are grateful that the auxiliary and foundation have been able to keep the labour and delivery room well equipped.”
This Christmas also saw the foundation begin a new initiative called Light a Bulb, which raised $20,000 towards the purchase of obstetrics equipment.
“When we saw that the hospital needed to replace some of the equipment for obstetrics, we knew right away that this would not take long for the community to respond... but we are always amazed at how fast the funds come in,” said foundation co-executive director Paula Remple.
In addition, donations worth over $42,000 were received by the foundation over Christmas, including Clint Cawsey’s donation of $15,000 in matching fundraising initiatives like the Big Band event and Gnomee Scarves, which raised $3,000.
The Radisson Hotel and Conference Centre’s annual fundraiser Friends in Need also raised $5,000 for the foundation while continuing efforts by Canwest Flooring saw $35,000 donated towards the purchases.
