Health-care worker respite area opened at Calgary hospital, fundraising started for 3 more
Health-care workers at Foothills Medical Centre can now step away from the chaos of work to find a moment of respite, thanks to a dedicated space opened earlier this summer.
And fundraising is ongoing to build similar areas at three other medical facilities over the next year.
The first respite area opened at Foothills Medical Center in September, designed to get workers a breath of fresh air during hectic shifts, where they can find physical and emotional rejuvenation.
"Hospitals are a busy environment with lots of beeps and buzzing," said Mike Meldrum, president and CEO of the Calgary Health Foundation.
"(The respite projects are) done in conjunction with the staff and with the planning team there at the sites that understand the facilities, where people are going to congregate and with that objective of trying to provide a functional meaningful space for them to recharge."
The space at Foothills cost upward of $100,000. Meldrum says hospital budgets are focused on patient care, not so much on staff needs and while they have some indoor spaces for a break, there are restrictions on how many staff can be there at any given time due to COVID-19 protocols.
The Calgary Health Foundation has focused on small benefits for health-care workers during the pandemic, offering things like meals along with coffee and gift cards.
"But this is neat in that it is long-term, right?" said Meldrum. "It's something that's going to be more permanent and therefore it will be a place that hopefully health-care workers for years will come and enjoy it."
Dave Routledge is the vice-president and head of Western Canada for Oxford Properties and says the company was looking for a way to thank health-care workers for their tireless efforts on the frontline of the pandemic.
"EllisDon was really the genesis of this idea at Foothills," said Routledge. "So they developed it and then we got together in partnership with some other things that we're doing and said, 'It'd be a great idea to roll this out at all four of the hospitals in Calgary."
The benefits are massive for the more than 46,000 care providers in Calgary that include things like the reduction of stress and improvement of overall mental health, increased mental sharpness and attentiveness, enhanced creativity and problem solving and the opportunity to connect informally with multidisciplinary teams to create more collaborative environments.
The Foothills hospital respite space is getting rave reviews from staff like Joanne Haslock, who is a patient care manager with 70 staff working on the COVID ward since March 2020.
"I love it," said Haslock. "I'm often in my office from seven in the morning till four at night, and don't often see that even the sun has been shining, so to be able to come out, it's just wonderful."
She says hospital workers have always focused on patient care and their own families rather then themselves. She said no one anticipated that the pandemic would take such a toll on staff.
"People will say it's part of the job, you don't always take the time to think about what the effects are on yourself," said Haslock.
"These kinds of spaces allow you to do that, it gives you that time away from the unit. Just to actually get off the unit and spend a few minutes outside is just so much more, you're able to energize yourself, reflect and refocus."
The Calgary Health Foundation is looking to raise $250,000 to supplement contributions from Oxford and EllisDon, which is overseeing the building of sites at the Peter Lougheed Centre, South Health Campus and Rockyview General Hospital over the course of the next year.
"They can be individuals like you or I that say this is a great way to support healthcare workers," said Meldrum. "And to show them our gratitude for what they've done with a modest contribution, it all adds up to help make things like this happen."
Learn more about the fundraising campaign online.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
'I just want to be safe': Ukrainian man in Canada faces limbo amid consular freeze
A recent decision to restrict consular services for fighting-aged Ukrainian men has made a Ukrainian man in Canada feel less certain of his next steps — and worried he could be pulled back to the war.
Dozens of U.S. deaths reveal risks of injecting sedatives into people restrained by police
The practice of giving sedatives to people detained by police has spread quietly across the U.S. over the last 15 years, built on questionable science and backed by police-aligned experts, an investigation led by The Associated Press has found.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.