Lois Hole and the Royal Alexandra Hospital have been closely linked for more than half a century.
That connection is now permanent and written in bold letters on the front of a new women's hospital recently completed at the Royal Alex and named for the former St. Albert businesswoman, school board trustee, and Alberta lieutenant-governor.
According to Hole's son Jim, the seed for the Lois Hole Hospital For Women was planted in 1954 when his mother was admitted to the Royal Alex, gave birth to a baby girl named Karen, then spent several days recovering after the death of her first child at three days old.
“I heard that story told many times of our sister when I was growing up and of course it was always painful for Mom to recount,” Jim said in a speech at the hospital's official opening Thursday.
“From her depth of despair, Mom planted a tiny seed that has grown to what we see here today.”
Optimism was a trait that Lois Hole displayed throughout her life's challenges, whether it was the death of her child or getting her business off the ground, Jim said. It's also a trait exuded by every corner of the hospital.
“When I stand in this magnificent hospital, I feel it's the very embodiment of Mom,” he said.
The ceremony included a video clip of a speech that Lois Hole made in November 2004, when it was announced that the building would bear her name.
“My hope is that when people come to this new hospital and see my name, they're going to have a little extra hope, that real uplifting hope that things will turn out okay,” she said.
Hole died two months later in that same hospital.
Hole and her husband Ted were the founders of Hole's Greenhouses & Gardens, an iconic St. Albert business. She chaired St. Albert's Protestant school board for years and was much beloved province-wide when she was lieutenant-governor.
The hospital will focus on high-risk obstetrics, specialized gynecological services and cancer surgery, which currently exist in cramped and outdated quarters.
“We have patients in the hallways. We have patients in the tub rooms,” said Royal Alexandra vice-president Joanna Pawlyshyn.
The new spaces will be more comfortable and private, she said.
The Royal Alex will continue to serve as the centre for high-risk pregnancies and births in the region. Obstetric services currently available at the Sturgeon Community Hospital will continue to operate as usual, Pawlyshyn said.
The five-floor Lois Hole Hospital was financed by $190 million in provincial funding and $20 million from the hospital's foundation. This money was used for furniture upgrades, numerous works of art and an endowment to fund women's health research, Pawlyshyn said.
The facility won't actually open until mid-May. It will have 82 beds, the same as are currently available in the old facility. However, the 16 labour and delivery beds in the new building are five more than available now. The new complex will also have about 10 more “flex beds,” which are used in periods of high demand.
The new hospital has the capacity to add a future 55 beds, Pawlyshyn said.
The Lois Hole Hospital was originally slated to open in late 2008 but construction was delayed because contractors had trouble finding and keeping workers, as the bulk of the building happened at the height of Alberta's boom, Pawlyshyn said.
The hospital will hold a public open house on Saturday April 10 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
