By Glenn Hicks

P.A. philanthropist kick-starts Victoria Hospital campaign

Nov 16, 2018 | 4:15 PM

The size of the Victoria Hospital Level 2 Neonatal Unit has been labelled ”ridiculous” and “like being in a broom closet.”

That description comes from Prince Albert’s best-known philanthropist, Malcolm Jenkins with Canadian Tire, who is kicking off this year’s Victoria Hospital Foundation NICU campaign for sick babies.

“I don’t know how [the staff] have survived and done the great job they’ve done this long,” Jenkins told paNOW in describing the very tight space he visited recently. “Really, it’s long overdue.”

Jenkins has committed to gift $100,000 towards the drive to expand and upgrade the Level 2 Neonatal Unit, which will be a multi-year initiative aimed at raising $2.2 million.

The hospital looks after 1,500 babies a year and the Neonatal unit currently has a floor space of only 357 square feet with medical gases to manage only four sick babies at a time.

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“That’s about the size of my office, it’s ridiculous,” Jenkins said.

In a media release, the Hospital Foundation said with the growing number of sick or premature babies being born and kept at Prince Albert, it was time to dramatically advance the right space and equipment.

Jenkins said he was delighted to give the campaign the six-figure boost, continuing a trend that has seen him donate over $700,000 to the Victoria Hospital in the last 20 years. He also joked that he has an ulterior motive for getting behind things again this year, given the holiday season charitable initiative Canadian Tire has with chocolates.

“These little people, there are 1,500 Toffifee eaters there,” he said. “I’ve got to bring them to fruition; they need to be eating Toffifees in four or five years.”

The Victoria Hospital Foundation’s NICU campaign for sick babies will be the focus of the 13th anniversary of the Give A Little Life Radiothon, a 12-hour broadcast on all Jim Pattison Broadcast Group stations Friday, Dec.7.

glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On twitter:@princealbertnow