Right: Zoey and her mom moved into one of the 18 private patient rooms in the new PICU. Below: Maheera was the first patient transferred to the new hospital.
First Patient Day S
eptember 29, 2019 marked a historic day for maternal and pediatric health care in Saskatchewan, as the very first maternal and pediatric patients of Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital moved into the brand new facility. After years of designing, building, planning and preparation, the 176-bed hospital represents a new chapter in maternal and pediatric care, offering state-of-the-art equipment and modern facilities for children, mothers and families from across our province.
The big patient move for maternal and pediatric services was completed in approximately four hours, with 112 maternal and pediatric patients transferred into their new rooms. Around 7:00 a.m., the excitement began to grow in the former Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), as the wheels started turning on little Maheera’s bed. The two-year-old was the very first patient to be moved into Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital where she continued to recover from pneumonia in the new 18-bed PICU.
Shortly after, Willow and her parents, Sarah and Cory from Saskatoon, moved into the new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Willow was born 14 weeks premature on Sept. 2 and was in the previous NICU, where she, along with other babies were cared for in side-by-side open bays. After the family was settled into their new private room, Sarah held her almost one month-old daughter for only the fourth time ever. “All of the staff in the NICU are amazing and were always ...continued on page 12
10 PATTISONCHILDRENS.CA WINTER/SPRING 2020
