This release was issued under a previous government.
The Clark family bonds with baby Ilandra at the Red Deer Hospital.
The labour and delivery unit expansion, budgeted at $9.7 million, ensures greater access for high-risk pregnancies and scheduled and emergency caesarean sections. A new recovery area near the operating rooms means parents can spend time together with their newborn babies more quickly following delivery.
“The addition of two dedicated operating rooms in the labour and delivery area means these tiny babies will get the best possible start in life. The new recovery area means their parents can spend precious time bonding with their newborn more quickly after delivery. This expansion is a wonderful project that’s making life better for growing families in Red Deer and central Alberta.”
“Being able to nurse my baby and enjoy skin-to-skin contact with our tiny newborn was a wonderful experience for my partner and me. The difference between bringing Ilandra into the world and my previous deliveries was night and day as it was so great to be able to enjoy those moments so soon after the birth of our third baby.”
The addition of two dedicated obstetrical operating rooms also offers greater privacy as labouring mothers requiring an emergency delivery were previously transported to a general operating room in another part of the hospital.
A dedicated anesthesiology service will support patient care and the medical team in the new obstetrical operating rooms. Additional nursing, clinical and non-clinical staff have been hired. The new obstetrical operating rooms are also expected to free up space in the general operating rooms, allowing approximately 330 more general surgery cases per year.
“The opening of the new obstetrical operating rooms and accompanying recovery area is another step toward our commitment to family-centred care. Central Alberta families who encounter the need for complex obstetrical procedures or caesarean sections can now remain together throughout the entire process, further enhancing patient experiences.”
The Red Deer Regional Health Foundation donated $1.2 million for equipment including baby warming centres, fetal monitors, physiological monitoring equipment and anesthetic machines.
“The foundation is proud to have been part of the financing that resulted in the opening of these new dedicated obstetrical operating rooms. We knew this project was important because of its broad impact on overall healthcare for central Albertans. We promise our donors that we will direct funding to projects that enhance health care for everyone in the central zone and today we have really delivered on that promise.”
Quick facts
- 2,700 babies are born at the Red Deer Regional Hospital each year, including about:
- 480 emergency C-sections
- 420 elective C-sections
- Red Deer Regional Hospital is the only referral centre for obstetrics in central Alberta