Sturgeon Community Hospital Week (SCHW) takes place from January 24 -31, with the annual, and always greatly anticipated, gala on the 27th.
Declared in 2015 by area Mayors Don Iveson (Edmonton), Lisa Holmes (Morinville), Nolan Crouse (St. Albert) and Tom Flynn (Sturgeon County), SCHW annually celebrates the great work of the hospital and the people who do it, while raising awareness of the many programs and services available at the facility.
Did you know that Sturgeon Community Hospital is a centre of excellence in upper limb surgery? Or that the hospital sees upwards of 2,500 successful births a year in its state-of-the-art maternity ward?
“It is a hospital of choice for many moms,” smiles Katherine MacMillan, past chair of the board and the key organizer of SCHW. “Our facility is flexible and our doctors are very willing to adapt to suit expectant mothers’ wants and needs.”
Sturgeon Community Hospital also provides critical and surgical care, occupational therapy, an IV clinic, education about diabetes, addiction and mental health counselling, diagnostics, cardiac testing and more. The hospital is currently raising funds for a state-of-the art endoscopy suite. Sturgeon Community Hospital is large enough to provide a full array of programs and services under one roof, but small enough to give each patient the personalized care, time and attention they need.
“People tend to think the Sturgeon mainly serves people from St. Albert, but that is not true,” informs MacMillan. “The hospital serves many people from Edmonton and the outlying community.”
The annual gala, takes place in the middle of SCHW, and every year people rush to buy tickets before the event sells out. This year’s gala will be the largest one to date; the committee has increased capacity to meet the ongoing demand. So far, more than 600 tickets have been sold.
“There are wonderful auction items,” smiles MacMillan about what guests can expect from the gala. “There will be both a live and silent auction. The live auction will be hosted by Danny Hooper. He knows how to connect with an audience and he has a wild sense of humour. He’s an amazing emcee. He makes people laugh and he keeps the audience engaged. Guests can also expect a delicious catered dinner by The Westin Edmonton and to dancing to live music from Uptown Entertainment.”
MacMillan continues, “Everyone at the gala has been touched by the Sturgeon Hospital in one way or another. We seem to be able to connect with people who use the hospital. This is a perfect opportunity to say thank you to them, and that is what this is all about. It’s an opportunity for people to get to know their health care providers in a different light.”
Your Sturgeon Community Hospital is a guiding light in the local and surrounding communities. Engage in SCHW and get to know how the facility can help you and your loved ones, and be sure to get your ticket for the gala before it sells out.
