The Misericordia Community Hospital will now be able to care for younger babies thanks to its new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
The hospital celebrated the opening of its new NICU on Tuesday. The state-of-the-art facility will now be able to take care of babies born at 30 weeks; the old NICU was able to care for babies born at 32 weeks.
The hospital’s old NICU had two pods with a total of 15 beds. The newly renovated unit features 23 private rooms, including two rooms specifically for twins. There are also two showers and a laundry area on the unit for families to use.
“This will dramatically improve care. It will be healthier for babies than caring for them side by side in a large room,” Gail Cameron, senior director of operations for women’s and children’s health at the Misericordia, said.
“Having a quieter space tailored specifically to their needs and increased privacy makes it easier for families to spend more time with their infants. It can help a baby grow faster and decrease their length of stay in the NICU.”
The Misericordia cares for hundreds of pre-term babies born in Edmonton and northern Alberta each year. The NICU underwent renovations following a substantial flood at the hospital in 2013.
“This project is a wonderful investment in Alberta families, supporting premature infants when they are most vulnerable,” Health Minister Sarah Hoffman said. “I am very pleased the Misericordia took this opportunity to take the already great care provided here and make it even better.”
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The hospital’s mental health unit on the second flood was also heavily damaged by the 2013 flood. The unit was rebuilt and now offers more private and semi-private rooms, therapy space and an exercise area.
“The flood was an adversity, but these new units will ensure the Misericordia remains a vibrant part of Alberta’s integrated health system,” Patrick Dumelie, Covenant Health’s president and CEO, said.
The flood at the Misericordia in May 2013 forced more than 50 patients and more than 160 staff members to be transferred to the Royal Alexandra Hospital. Then in 2014, the hospital flooded twice in three weeks because of heavy rainfall.
Since then, there have been calls to replace the hospital, which was built in the 1960s. In 2014, the then-opposition Alberta NDP was among those calling for a replacement hospital.
READ MORE: Edmonton’s Misericordia Hospital once again struck with flooding
A report released by AHS in October recommended scaling back upgrades at the Misericordia, to steer funding towards other projects. The same report suggested a new hospital would be needed in Edmonton to keep up with acute care services in the future.
When asked about the future of the Misericordia Tuesday, Hoffman said the government continues to work with AHS and Covenant Health through the planning process.
“We did allocate planning money in our very first budget and look forward to bringing some information through the treasury board process and hopefully being able to update Albertans very soon in the budget process in the spring, hopefully, about some of the next steps that we’ll be taking.”
Hoffman admits parts of the existing hospital need work in order to make sure they’re functioning as efficiently as possible, including the emergency room, but added “that costs money.”
“No matter what, the people of Edmonton and those who count on this facility will be well served whether it’s in this building, or this building and another building, or a replacement building.”
The total cost to rebuild the NICU and mental health unit was $17.7 million. The Alberta government and Alberta Health Services contributed $15.2 million. The rest of the funding came from Covenant Health.
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