You may have already heard of the PRHC Foundation “Mombassadors”, a group of local women who all had their babies at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC). But you might not know why these women have come together to encourage donations to our hospital.
Every day, PRHC’s Labour and Delivery Unit welcomes an average of four new babies to the world. Unfortunately, every year around 350 of these babies are born prematurely or suffer from health complications and need the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
While the most important thing is making these babies healthy, it’s also important to keep families together during this time of crisis. Providing neonatal care close to home means that mothers don’t have to be separated from their spouses or their other children. It means they don’t have to suffer the emotional and financial burdens of travelling to hospitals outside our region.
Your donations this holiday season will fund the equipment and technology that our hospital needs to deliver specialized care to its smallest patients close to home — keeping families together when they need each other the most.
Many people don’t realize government funding only covers a portion of what hospitals need to meet the best practices in patient care. It’s private donations from people like you that allow PRHC to purchase the technology and equipment to advance patient care — both for neonatal care and throughout the hospital.
Please read a message and watch a video from the 2018 PRHC Foundation Mombassadors below, along with the story of Jaspar — a premature baby born at PRHC this past October — and a message from Dr. Karolyn Hardy-Brown, PRHC’s Chief of Pediatrics. And then please consider giving more families the Gift of Hope by making a donation to the PRHC Foundation to fund the equipment and technology to make world-class neonatal care possible at your hospital.
This is the fourth of a series from the PRHC Foundation to show how your donations to our hospital make a real difference in the lives of real people. kawarthaNOW is sharing these stories of hope from patients, doctors, and parents. This week’s story is how donations help advance neonatal at our hospital.
A Message from the PRHC Foundation Mombassadors
Hi. We are the PRHC Foundation Mombassadors.
We’re a group of local moms who all had our babies at Peterborough Regional Health Centre. Last spring, we came together to form the PRHC Foundation Mombassadors because we’re passionate about making sure every woman and baby can get the same incredible care we did, when they need it most.
1,659 babies were born at PRHC last year. We’re told that an average of 350 babies a year need the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
That’s 350 babies that couldn’t go home right away. 350 sets of parents who spent sleepless nights worrying about the what ifs. 350 families who felt helpless as they waited for answers.
Ask anyone who’s needed the NICU (as some of us did), and they’ll tell you that having specialized care available close to home meant everything. It meant not being separated from our partners and children. It meant having family close by. It meant not having to struggle with the challenges that come with travelling for care.
Through partnering with the PRHC Foundation we have learned that donors were essential to bringing lifesaving neonatal care to our community. And for that we are forever thankful.
We want to make sure that outstanding care is available for moms and babies for years to come. So we are proud to be fundraising for Labour & Delivery and the NICU at PRHC as part of the Gift of Hope campaign.
Everyone has a reason to give. This is ours.
Please join us. Your donation will help give more families the best possible gift this holiday season — the chance to take their little one home.
With grateful hearts,
Your 2018/2019 PRHC Foundation Mombassadors:
Marcy D’Alessandro, Erin Marshall, Sarah McDougall, Grace Reynolds, Kate Ahrens, Sarah Evans, Jennifer Moher, Jenni Bissell
Jasper’s Story
On October 26, 2018 Jasper Alexander Taylor was born prematurely at 34 weeks.
Leading up to Jasper’s birth, several visits to PRHC’s Labour & Delivery Unit were necessary. Over this time we were able to get to know the exceptional staff that work in this area.
The attentive, kind care that was provided was recognized and appreciated. We felt the Labour & Delivery nurses went above what is expected to help us feel comfortable.
After birth, Jasper required care on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for eleven days. This was an emotional and frightening time for our family. What made this experience tolerable were the nurses and doctors that cared for both our son and us as new parents.
As Jasper stabilized and grew stronger, the staff worked closely with us to give us the knowledge necessary to safely transition home. Jasper is now thriving and we are incredibly grateful.
It is difficult to know how to say thank you to those that made such an impact on our lives so we decided to honour the outstanding staff by making a donation to the PRHC Foundation in support of Labour & Delivery and the NICU.
Dr. Melissa Fransky + Andrew & Jasper Taylor
A message from Dr. Karolyn Hardy-Brown, Chief of Pediatrics at PRHC
I think our community recognizes that our hospital not only provides care, but needs care from the community too.
It needs participation and engagement, and every time you give to the PRHC Foundation, you are contributing to the development of excellent care.
On behalf of all of us in the NICU, we thank you. Because of you, we are able to help our tiniest and most fragile patients go home sooner.
When you donate, the next time you see a tiny baby, know that you might have helped save that baby’s life.
Dr. Karolyn Hardy-Brown
Chief, Pediatrics, PRHC
The Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation works with donors to fund the equipment and technology that form the backbone of patient care at PRHC — bringing new lifesaving services to our region, and helping attract and retain expert doctors, nurses, and staff. For more information, visit www.prhcfoundation.ca or call 705-876-5000. You can also follow the PRHC Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
