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In Pursuit of Providing World Class Healthcare

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5 minute read

Originally published in the Red Deer Advocate January 17, 2018

By Iaian Park, CEO Red Deer Regional Health Foundation

The Government of Alberta recently released its healthcare priority spending list. Of note was that the Red Deer Regional Hospital was not included on that list.

Firstly, as a Central Albertan I am disappointed: I feel for the physicians, nurses and other healthcare workers looking for tools to do their jobs to their maximum potential.  I feel for people facing wait times in excess of 10 hours while trying to access medical treatment.  I feel for patients who must travel great distances to get the healthcare those in major cities already take for granted.  I could go on.

However, as the Chief Executive Officer of the only major charity funding the Red Deer Hospital, I have another perspective.   I see this as an opportunity…a responsibility… to step up the funding we provide to the Red Deer Regional Hospital. Our Board of Directors recently made a minor change to our vision so that it is now an action statement:

Dedicated to the pursuit of providing world class healthcare”

These volunteer Board members, those who set the tone for our organization, have doubled down on their commitment. They chose to add “Dedicated to the pursuit of” to what was previously “World class healthcare for Central Albertans”. They are increasing their resolve to fulfill our mission to the hospital.

New equipment, services and programs need to be added to the hospital, of that there is no question. However, there are plenty of current programs, services and pieces of equipment that can be improved, modified or upgraded. Central Albertans can help to make sure that what we do have is the best it can be.

You, your family, your neighbors and fellow Central Albertans can ensure that healthcare workers in the Red Deer Regional Hospital have the best equipment for the programs and services they currently provide. You can make sure that our healthcare workers come to work knowing that the equipment they have is the best available so they can provide world class healthcare.

Here is a recent example of a system that works:

Dr. Horne of Laboratory Services at the Red Deer Regional Hospital said: “We would never be able to purchase this equipment without funding from the Festival of Trees and the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation.”

Laboratory Services was the recipient this year of Festival of Trees proceeds. Given Dr. Horne’s current department budget, there would not be enough money to purchase the equipment provided by Festival – not in the short term, and likely not in the long term.

So thanks to you, Central Alberta, you have funded equipment for the Red Deer Hospital that likely would have never otherwise been purchased. You have made an impact on the care Central Albertans receive – potentially saving lives! Your support has made it possible for staff in the lab to process samples more efficiently and provide results quicker to our physicians. This improved efficiency will save lives.

You can continue to ensure that the Red Deer Regional Hospital has access to the best equipment for the current services and programs they run. You can donate funds or time to the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation. Either way, you will be contributing to the pursuit of providing world class healthcare for Central Albertans.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, Volunteers and Staff of the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation, I thank you for funding or volunteering with us in the past, and I thank you for considering our Foundation in the future. You can make an impact on the healthcare provided to Central Albertans.

Ian Park

For more information on how to donate or volunteer please call 403.343.4773, email [email protected], or visit www.rdrhfoundation.com.

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Red Deer

2024 Hospital Lottery presents major prizes

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Officials from the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation have presented the top prize for the 2024 Red Deer Hospital Lottery.

The Grand Prize Dream Home package is valued at $1,072,624, including furnishings by Urban Barn. The key was presented to the winner, Maxine Rumohr of Sylvan Lake.

When informed that she was the grand prize winner, Rumohr said winning the home is a “dream come true.”

“This is a nice dream that I hope I don’t wake up from,” said Rumohr when she heard the news.

The bungalow by Sorento Custom Homes features 2,796 sq ft of finished living space and has four bedrooms, two and a half baths, and a large, covered deck with vaulted ceilings. Among its features are a large primary suite with ensuite and soaking tub, a basement entertainment area, a walk-in butler’s pantry, main floor laundry, and a stone clad gas
fireplace.

Manon Therriault, Foundation CEO, expressed appreciation at the prize presentation. “We are incredibly grateful to the hardworking team at Sorento Custom Homes for bringing us a truly breathtaking Dream Home again this year,” Therriault said, speaking of the Red Deer Hospital Lottery’s biggest supporter. “Enormous thanks as well to our dedicated volunteers. All of Central Alberta benefits from the dedication of this tireless group of individuals who give so generously of their time each year.”

This year’s proceeds from the Hospital Lottery and Mega Bucks 50 will provide funding for critically needed equipment for several units at Red Deer Hospital.

Other prize winners present included Carolyn Pelerine of Cochrane, Alberta, who walked away with the $303,600 Mega Bucks 50 prize, as well as the winner of the Tree Hugger Tiny Home prize package valued at $163,798, Mary Vincent of Red Deer.

Red Deer Hospital Lottery 2024 Winners Fact Sheet

– 26th year of the lottery
– Built by award-winning Sorento Custom Homes
– Valued at $1,072,624
– Located at 16 Emmett Crescent, Red Deer
– Bungalow with 2,796 square feet of finished living space, four bedrooms, 2.5 baths
– Winner: Maxine Rumohr of Sylvan Lake, Alberta

Tree Hugger Tiny Home Prize – (includes accessories from Urban Barn)
– Valued at $163,798
– Winner: Mary Vincent of Red Deer, Alberta

Mega Bucks 50
– 50/50 raffle – Total jackpot of $607,200
– Winner of $303,600: Carolyn Pelerine of Cochrane, Alberta

Early Bird Prize
– $20,000 CASH
– Drawn May 16, 2024 at 2:00 pm
– Winner: Frieda Doz of Edmonton, Alberta

Second Chance Early Bird Draw
– $10,000 CASH
– Drawn June 6, 2024 at 2:00 pm
– Winner: Wendy Howe of Castor, Alberta

Additional Prizes
– Total value of all prizes was over $1.29 million, including dream home and tiny home
– Prizes included
o Cuisinart air fryer and Barista coffee maker (6), GoPro HERO 12 (5), Asus Vivobook Flip 14” laptop (10), DJI Mini 2SE Drone Flycam (4), Dyson V8 cordless stick vacuum (10), Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC power bank (5)

Proceeds
– Proceeds from Red Deer Hospital Lottery and Mega Bucks 50 contribute to acquiring critically needed, state-of-the-art equipment in several units at the Red Deer Hospital. This year’s lottery will fund equipment like a phototherapy system to allow parents to hold and soothe their infant while undergoing phototherapy, a cardiology case cart to monitor cardiac rhythms during stress testing, and other equipment to provide excellent care for patients at the Red Deer Hospital.

About Red Deer Regional Health Foundation

The Red Deer Regional Health Foundation is a fundraising organization for Alberta Health Services Central Zone, with a mandate to raise and disburse funds for programs, services, and the purchase of medical equipment.

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Alberta

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith promises bill protecting rights to refuse vaccines is coming

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From LifeSiteNews

By Anthony Murdoch

The plan is to introduce an amended Bill of Rights this fall that includes protections for individuals’ personal medical decisions.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has promised that the province’s Bill of Rights will be amended this fall so that there are protections added for people’s personal medical decisions that most likely will include one having the right to refuse a vaccine.

Smith’s promise to add protections for personal choice on vaccinations comes because of the COVID jab mandates put in place for a time in Alberta under former Premier Jason Kenney.

Speaking to Albertans at a recent town hall in Bonnyville, Smith said that the COVID crisis resulted in many people being discriminated against for their own medical decisions and that “it shouldn’t have happened.”

Smith, who leads the United Conservative Party (UCP), said that she believes “every person has to be able to do their own assessment, their own health assessment, to be able to make those decisions.”

The original plan by Smith was to add protections for one’s vaccine status directly Alberta Human Rights Act (AHRA). However, this plan was nixed after she was advised by Public Health Emergencies Governance Review Panel chair Preston Manning that this was not the right legislation for an additional protection.

Instead, Smith promised that a better “law” dealing directly with vaccine status will be forthcoming.

On Monday, Smith confirmed on X that an updated version of the Bill of Rights is coming.

“It’s time. Let’s get this done,” she wrote.

Last year, Smith, as reported by LifeSiteNews, promised to enshrine into “law” protections for people in her province who choose not to be vaccinated as well as strengthen gun rights and safeguard free speech by beefing up the provincial Bill of Rights.

On Smith’s first day on the job and only minutes after being sworn in, she said that during the COVID years the “unvaccinated” were the “most discriminated against” group of people in her lifetime.

She took over from Kenney as leader of the UCP on October 11, 2022, after winning the party leadership. The UCP then won a general election in May 2023. Kenney was ousted due to low approval ratings and for reneging on promises not to lock Alberta down during COVID.

Smith promptly fired the province’s top doctor, Deena Hinshaw, and the entire Alberta Health Services board of directors, all of whom oversaw the implementation of COVID mandates.

Under Kenney, thousands of nurses, doctors, and other healthcare and government workers lost their jobs for choosing to not get the jabs.

While Smith has not said much regarding the COVID shots since taking office, she has allowed her caucus members to have broad views when it comes to known safety issues related to the jabs.

UCP MLA Eric Bouchard hosted a sold-out event titled “An Injection of Truth” that featured prominent doctors and experts speaking out against COVID vaccines and mandates.

“Injection of Truth” included well-known speakers critical of COVID mandates and the shots, including Dr. Byram BridleDr. William Makis, canceled doctor Mark Trozzi and pediatric neurologist Eric Payne.

The COVID shots were heavily promoted by the federal government and all provincial governments in Canada, with the Alberta government under Kenney being no exception.

The mRNA shots have been linked to a multitude of negative and often severe side effects in children.

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