Families at Chinook Regional Hospital are receiving an extra bit of comfort.
Thanks to a partnership between the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation and Ronald McDonald House Alberta, the local hospital is now home to a Comfort Cart.
The program sees volunteers move a cart between the prenatal clinic, NICU, pediatric, maternity/child and labour/delivery units.
The cart is filled with items aimed at making a family’s hospital stay more comfortable. Some of these include coffee, blankets, kids’ toys, activity books, snacks and hygiene items such as toothbrushes.
Natasha Tiemstra, Chief Operating Officer for Ronald McDonald House Alberta, says it is important for families to be close to their loved ones when they are receiving care.
“We know that families have a wide variety of needs, and they want to stay close to their kids when they’re in the hospital, so in order to help them stay close to their kids, we want to bring the comforts that they need to them,” she remarks.
Tiemstra explains that any families who have kids in medical care can benefit from the service, and “that includes moms in pre-delivery”.
She adds that the program is delivered at no cost to families. “Our whole goal is to serve families with what they need and we know that they’re going through the hardest times in their life, and we actually just want to make their lives easier.”
The Lethbridge hospital has one Comfort Cart, with service having started on October 14. Volunteers make rounds at the hospital Mondays through Fridays. Those interested in volunteering with the program can visit the Alberta Health Services website to register.
Comfort Carts are also available at Calgary’s Foothills Medical Centre and Peter Lougheed Centre, as well as at the Red Deer Regional Hospital, with Tiemstra noting they are always hoping to help the program grow.
“We were actually just talking about trying to do this in Medicine Hat as well, so that would be really exciting.”
LOCAL IMPACT
The program has already made a positive impression on the local hospital community.
“On top of being a nurse, I’m also a mom, and we’ve utilized Ronald McDonald House multiple times for our daughter, who is three,” says Santana Stewart, a nurse in the NICU at Chinook Regional Hospital.
“Already, our parents have mentioned multiple times that they really appreciate it [the Comfort Cart]. It’s just a little pick-me-up that the hospital, as well as Ronald McDonald House, has been able to provide for them.”
Stewart adds, “Being a parent and in a similar situation, I can also vouch that even the little bit of kindness that’s provided with a coffee or a snack when you’ve been in the hospital all day is huge. You don’t understand how big of a gesture it is until you’re in that situation, so it’s been very helpful.”
