(from left: Scott Moe, Premier of Saskatchewan; Tim Gitzel, Cameco President & CEO; Carrie Dornstauder, Executive Director, Maternal and Children’s Programs, Saskatchewan Health Authority; and Dr. Lalita Malhotra)

By paNOW Staff

First public look at facility being built

Cameco donates $1.5 million to the Boreal Healthcare Foundation

Sep 24, 2024 | 5:22 PM

Cameco is donating $1.5 million to the Boreal Healthcare Foundation in support of the Victoria Hospital Redevelopment and Expansion project.

The company’s donation supports high risk maternal care through prenatal outpatient, triage and inpatient spaces that meet the health needs of pregnant persons from Saskatchewan’s north. Through their support, Cameco is helping to build a comprehensive suite of services designed to keep mothers and their newborns with advanced health needs together and closer to home. The Victoria Hospital currently supports on average 1,250 births per year and is Saskatchewan’s third largest high-risk maternal site, caring for infants as low as 32 weeks gestation.

“Throughout our more than 35 years of operations, Cameco has consistently given back to northern Saskatchewan communities,” said Tim Gitzel, Cameco President and CEO. “These communities are where our employees call home, where our valued suppliers and contractors are owned, and where we have developed long-standing partners and friends. Supporting advanced care for mothers and newborns at Victoria Hospital is a critical investment in the future of northern families – an investment Cameco is proud to make.”

Half of the employees at Cameco’s four northern sites are residents of Saskatchewan’s North and health and wellness are one of the company’s giving pillars.

With a large number of healthcare and long term care facilities looking for funding for their own projects, Gitzel noted that this one here in Prince Albert offers serves a special purpose. With two of their largest uranium mines in northern Saskatchewan, the Victoria Hospital offers services to many of the Cameco workers and so supporting this hospital is also taking care of Cameco’s employees.

Fire response

'The building was completely charged with black smoke': Fire chief describes golf resort fire

4h ago

Court proceedings

Meth trafficker bear sprays Good Samaritan, receives two-year sentence

7h ago

Election candidates

Ward 4 candidate promises delivery of fresh perspective

8h ago

“The key driver for us on healthcare is our employees. We need to help look after the people of the north, we know that the healthcare facilities in northern Saskatchewan are a little bit lighter than they are in southern Saskatchewan because of the large distances between communities there, but people all deserve great healthcare. We thought Prince Albert was a good place to focus our donation, especially on the mothers and children and the neonatal piece. That’s the connection for us,” Gitzel said.

The first look offered by the Victoria Hospital towards their expanded facilities. (paNow Staff/Nick Nielsen)

“Cameco is improving the health outcomes of moms and babies through state-of-the-art care models that will dramatically improve the hospital’s ability to provide timely, effective, and compassionate care,” said Cody Barnett, CEO of the Boreal Healthcare Foundation. “As the founding donor to the Equip the Vic Campaign, Cameco is demonstrating their commitment to their employees and future workforce by supporting mothers and infants in the North. We are thankful to Cameco for leading the way with this significant investment in bringing better care, close to home.”

Cameco’s donation is the founding gift to the foundation’s Equip the Vic Campaign and comes as the first large sponsor partnership with the hospital’s fundraising efforts. As a result, Barnett said that you will see Cameco recgonized within the maternity facility.

“There will be some recognition within the maternity unit, some of those high needs spaces on the inpatient and outpatient care for at risk mothers and babies. As the designs get finalized we’re going to finalize what those spaces look like but that’s the target use for that donation is really taking care of those high risk pregnancies.”

The $1.5 million donation is being used to introduce state-of-the-art medical equipment like advanced MRI and CT scanners, and expand local access to essential services, such as high risk prenatal care for mothers, critical care for newborns, mental health services and early disease detection.

The Victoria Hospital Redevelopment and Expansion will increase the hospital’s overall capacity by 40%. With the community’s support, the new acute care tower at the Victoria Hospital has a targeted opening in 2028.

“Cameco has a long history of supporting and partnering with Saskatchewan communities, and today is yet another example of their commitment to our province and our people,” Premier Scott Moe said. “This generous donation will go a long way in supporting staff and patients at Victoria Hospital, including state-of-the-art equipment along with furnishings and fixtures.”

While doctor recruitment and retention has been an ongoing issue in Saskatchewan and the country as a whole, especially when it comes to specialists, the Premier sees this as a step towards making those specialists stay. Moe believes that seeing large investments like this in Saskatchewan from Saskatchewan based companies will show potential new doctors and specialists that they will be supported here in the long run.

“It is a Canadian challenge, but with that most ambitious health human resources plan, we are not only ensuring a minimum amount of disruptions and continuity of healthcare in our communities, but we’re expanding the services that are being offered, most notably here in Prince Albert with this significant expansion and starting to work on staffing that expansion today, but also with our urgent care centres of which we opened one this summer in Regina, and one coming soon with a unique partnership with Ahtahkakoop Cree Nation in the community of Saskatoon.”

panews@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @princealbertnow