Giving birth is a challenging ordeal for new parents, and in the Border City, it can be no different. OPtions for maternity are about to see an improvement, as funds from the Pat Redden Memorial Scholarship has been invested to upgrade a high-end maternity suite for post-birth comfort.
The initial investment of $27,000 is being made to help build the room which once completed will be available for rent. Funds raised by the maternity suite will remain in the healthcare facility as an extra revenue source. Malcolm Radke, CEO of the Lloydminster Region Health Foundation, says the room will provide a comfortable stay for a new family.
“Instead of your standard patient room at the hospital (they can) pay a little bit more for this private room,” says Radke. “It’s got a queen-size bed, it’s got a luxury bathroom, it’s got some nice artwork (and a) modern design, etcetera. It’ll feel more like a luxury hotel room than a hospital setting.”
Radke says that Lloydminster healthcare facilities could see a $30,000 increase in revenue through renting out the maternity suite. The scholarship funds are being borrowed from helps young nursing students pursue their career. Radke adds that the Health Foundation is proud to help facilitate the scholarship and all the ways it improves local healthcare.
“We’ve held it since 2006, and thanks to their foresight in this time of turmoil and losing the mom of the family, they’re able to pull off something pretty amazing. Here we are, twelve years later, still celebrating, and it’s still benefitting future nurses from our community.”
The scholarship honours the memory of Pat Redden, a respected nurse at the Lloydminster Hospital and the mother of former NHL player Wade Redden. Pat passed away in 2006 and a scholarship fund was created in her name.
The Redden family holds the final decision over which student receives the memorial scholarship each year. Applicants are expected to submit a resume with reference letters and a short essay on what they’ve done for the community. Bart Redden, son of Pat Redden believes his mother would stand behind this move to improve healthcare for the community.
“We see this as being a chance to enhance healthcare and create more income to further enhance it in the future,” says Redden. “We hopped on the opportunity to help out and appreciate the ingenuity of the Health Foundation to try and think of different things to do, create more revenue streams and create a better environment in our hospital and for the community.”
It’s expected that construction for the room will begin sometime in the winter and be ready to rent in the spring. Radke says the Saskatchewan Health Authority is just beginning to work at how the renovation will look.