Your Impact: How Your Thunder Bay 50/50 Ticket Purchases Help Babies in the First Hours of Life
Published Wednesday, June 12, 2024
Shanni Valley (left) and Socorro Woodman demonstrate how easily staff can gather around the infant warmer after birth to do assessments while baby stays warm and snug.
by Graham Strong
Some of the most critical moments in healthcare come at the very beginning of life. That's why staff at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre needs all the tools available to give mother and baby the best care possible.
Thanks to your purchase of Thunder Bay 50/50 Draw tickets, our dedicated healthcare professionals are getting more tools faster.
It starts in Labour & Delivery. Healthcare professionals including nurses, obstetricians, midwives, and family physicians who deliver babies need to have enough light to see what's happening during birth. For example, something as simple as which shoulder is showing first can be important information – and those tiny shoulders can be hard to see. New ultra-bright LED lights replace the original, ageing lights installed when our Hospital was built 20 years ago.
“Visualization is so important,” said Jennifer Somera, Manager, NICU & Maternity Centre. “These bright lights allow the healthcare team to see what's happening and assess any possible complications. It makes delivery safer for both mother and baby.”
Immediately after birth, the team examines newborns to ensure they are breathing easy and pink in colour. Since infants lose body heat fast, they can get cold easily. The infant warmers are actually mini exam tables that help to keep baby snug during assessments.
“It's a point of stabilization for baby so soon after birth,” said Katie Forbes, Manager, Labour & Delivery and Maternal Newborn. “It also creates a nice open space so that the team can work while baby stays warm and comfortable.”
These new warmers provide almost everything the team needs for early intervention of any problems including tools for resuscitation, adjustable light, and extra drawers to keep emergency equipment. They also feature a special nozzle that will fit an automatic respirator to help deliver the right amount of air into baby's lungs if and when it's needed. This new procedure is quickly becoming the standard of care.
All of these features are designed to keep baby safer and more comfortable during those vital first moments of life.
Larger babies and toddlers admitted to Paediatrics are likely to be settled in one of the new cribs for a safe sleep next to their caregiver. You may think that a crib is a crib, but in fact a lot of thought goes into the design. The newest cribs have continuous safety rails, which means they do not have any pinch points when lifting up or down. That makes it safer for parents and staff as well as for baby. The higher mattress level and user-friendly controls make caring for baby easier. Most importantly, all cribs in Paediatrics are now standardized and the older models have now been fully replaced.
“Standardization is important for safety,” said Amy Halvorsen, Manager of Paediatrics & Paediatric Outpatient. “We use these cribs in three different departments, and it's important that everyone knows how to operate them. It's much easier – and safer – when you use the same high-quality crib everywhere.”
These are just some examples of how your Thunder Bay 50/50 tickets are making a difference in the lives of our patients – including our smallest ones. What will your tickets buy next? Visit ThunderBay5050.ca to find out what May's grand prize is right now and buy your tickets online to support more equipment like these for better, safer patient care.