Keep connected at Grace Hospital

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This article was published 10/11/2020 (1884 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Even with current pandemic-related restrictions in place, it’s still possible to keep connected with patients at the Grace Hospital.

One simple way to let loved ones know you’re thinking of them is through the Well Wishes program on the Grace Hospital website (www.gracehospital.ca).

This free communication service allows anyone to type a message to a patient through an online form. Then the Grace’s volunteer resources department prints and hand delivers these messages to patients, and will even read the notes aloud if needed.

As another way to keep patients connected, the Grace Hospital Foundation has purchased 51 iPads and put them on stands for patient use.

“These can be used by patients for FaceTime or Zoom and also for entertainment purposes like Netflix. Frankly, when you don’t have visitors, there’s less for you to do,” said Jon Einarson, executive director of Grace Hospital Foundation.

“We also have bedside TVs that are a user-pay service at the hospital. The foundation has turned on all the bedside terminals on for free so that all the patients can use them. We did something similar in March when the restrictions came in at that juncture. Now that the visitor restrictions are back, we’ve gone back to doing it.”

In addition, the Grace Hospital Foundation purchased a supply of reusable masks from its COVID-19 fund when masks became a requirement in September.

“We didn’t want to stop a person from visiting a family member just because they didn’t have a mask. In March, we never would have contemplated having to hand out masks to visitors, so there’s something new every day,” Einarson said.

“COVID is such an evolving thing. We don’t know what the hospital might need even tomorrow that the foundation can help out with.”

To stay prepared, the Grace Hospital Foundation is hoping to replenish the money in its COVID-19 fund, which it launched in the spring.

“That would be ideal so that we can be nimble and flexible if we need more iPads or come what may,” Einarson said.

“We’re also still raising money for a $3-million diagnostic imaging campaign. Despite COVID, the important work has to go on with things like diagnostic imaging. There is a new CT scanner and other new equipment that we need.”

Anyone who would like to contribute to the Grace Hospital Foundation’s COVID-19 fund or other fundraising efforts can visit www.gracehospitalfoundation.ca.

Although the foundation’s annual winter celebration is cancelled this year, Einarson wants to let everyone know that the fireworks display will still light up the sky over Sturgeon Creek Park. Members of the public are invited to park and remain in their vehicles to view the fireworks display, which will take place on Wed., Dec. 2 at 6:30 p.m.

“We’ve got to try to have fun where we can,” he said. “This seems like a safe activity for people in the neighbourhood to enjoy.”

Updates about the Grace Hospital Foundation and its initiatives are available on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.