The province announced Monday that work was underway for a new neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the Sturgeon Community Hospital in St. Albert.
Health Minister Sarah Hoffman was on hand for Monday’s announcement – the Stollery Children’s Hospital will operate the NICU in St. Albert. The province said the new unit is a $2.3 million investment.
“When you hear the word ‘Stollery’ you know it’s the best in care for a sick child,” Hoffman said. “So having that partnership at the Sturgeon with the Stollery makes perfect sense. It gives that confidence to these parents who have sick newborns but it also enables them to be closer to home.”
At this time, babies needing intensive care need to be transferred to one of the four units at hospitals in Edmonton.
The unit will add six beds, and other amenities, to the hospital.
The province said the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation is providing $2.5 million through a new campaign.
“I just want to thank the staff and the advocates, that for so long have worked,” Judith Hockney, senior operating officer with the Sturgeon Community Hospital, said Monday. “3,000 births, we finally have a NICU here. It’s only better for moms and babes.”
The new unit is expected to open in the summer of 2019.
