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Grace Hospital Covid-19 Response Video (3:54 min)
March 31, 2020 (Click to enlarge full ad)
These are difficult times. Historic times. As the world unites to stem the tide of COVID-19, collectively we must all do our part.
Things are better in Canada, and indeed better in Manitoba than they are in most other parts of the world. We should all be proud of that. If there is one thing that Manitobans are well known for, it is coming together to help one another in times of need.
The Grace Hospital Foundation formally suspended all fundraising activities on March 12. We postponed our Gala from May 14 to September 30 and we cancelled our April direct mail campaign so we could re-direct our staff to help out where needed in the hospital, and to avoid contacting the community who had more important things to worry about.
That has now changed for us. With massive reductions to hospital visitations, staff who are overtaxed but giving it their all, and worried families, we know there is more for us to do now. We are officially launching the Grace Hospital Foundation COVID-19 Fund to raise money to help support our patients, their families and our staff. The hospital needs us.
Our first order of business was to turn on all the bedside TV’s and phones throughout the hospital so that our patients, who now can no longer have visitors, can more easily stay in touch with their loved ones. They can also access television and internet through the bedside terminals to make their days go by faster while in isolation. This is usually a user pay service but we don’t want our patients to worry about paying for this during their serious and stressful time of illness. The supplier of this service is Select Vu. Their parent company, I3, has worked closely with us on this initiative which was rolled out Monday March 30. I3 has absorbed all the costs of upgrading the system so it can be turned on across the site, and they are only charging us on a cost recovery basis for their hard expenses like staff and IT support and management. We are truly grateful to I3 for this partnership.
We have 230 bedside terminals in the hospital, and we are looking to the community for support with this. We intend to have the TV’s and phones turned on for three months. If this is required for a longer period then we will extend it. We will also be purchasing some I-Pads (with approved infection control covers) for our Intensive Care Unit as they do not have the bedside terminals so that our patients there can Face Time with their loved ones.
Our intention with the COVID-19 Fund is to have on hand a surplus of funds so that we can react to situations as they arise and help as much as we can. As this is a new phenomenon we cannot predict exactly what the needs will be for our patients and staff in the near future. The one thing we know is that there will be needs.
I respectfully ask that you join with us in the extraordinary time and help assure that the Grace is prepared as best we can be, to get through this crisis.
Please be well and please be safe.
Jeffrey A. Coleman
Chair
Grace Hospital Foundation
April 9, 2020 (Click to enlarge full ad)
Hello Friends:
Grace Hospital has now opened a 20-bed COVID-19 In-Patient Unit, to be at the ready in the event of increased hospitalization due to the virus. This new unit, on our fifth floor, has all the patient care amenities and staffing resources that it will need to provide those with COVID-19 with the best care possible. What it does not have are the bedside terminals with phones and TV’s like the rest of the hospital has. This means that these patients, who will not be permitted visitors, will be isolated from the outside world.
Building on the success of the iPads we provided to our Intensive Care Unit a week and a half ago, we intend to get twenty more iPads (including approved infection control covers), one for each room, for the new COVID-19 Unit. This will allow our patients to stay in touch with their loved ones through FaceTime. It will also provide them with in-room entertainment such as Netflix, to help them pass the time while in isolation.
I will tell you that Grace Hospital is doing as well as it can under these present circumstances, and there is only one reason; it is our staff. They are working tirelessly with dedication and professionalism providing care to all those in need. They do this every day, under any set of circumstances. They are undaunted by the present situation and have risen to the occasion, and have acted with compassion and “grace”. It is a sight to behold and we could not be more proud.
We have another major need. We want to initiate regular and ongoing treats for our staff, including free coffee, ice cream and other such well-deserved expressions of gratitude. We will use donations to work with local suppliers to assure staff get some special things in the coming days and weeks. It could not be more well deserved.
I hope you will join with us in this time of need and support the Grace Hospital Foundation COVID-19 Fund.
Please be well and please be safe.
Jeffrey A. Coleman
Chair
Grace Hospital Foundation
