New suite provides space for families to stay while loved ones receive care at QEH
CBC
A new suite will soon be available for the families of patients receiving care at P.E.I.'s Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The two-bedroom apartment will provide a free space so families can stay close to the Charlottetown hospital if they have a baby in the neonatal intensive-care unit (NICU) or if they're visiting a loved one who received a difficult diagnosis.
Tracey Comeau, CEO of the QEH Foundation, said Islanders or people who don't live in the province often have to travel long distances to receive care or a loved one in the hospital.
"There is a parent who is traveling all the way from the western part of the Island every single day to come visit her baby in the NICU," she said.
"We've also heard of someone who, for three weeks... had to travel to the P.E.I. Cancer Treatment Centre."
The hospital’s social work team will be able to assign families to the North River Road suite on a week-by-week basis.
Julie Fitzpatrick-Hopkin, manager of the social work department at QEH, said the apartment will be offered to families who don't have a place to stay in the community.
"If you have the ability to stay with friends or family, that's wonderful," she said.
"But ultimately, families who use the space don't have anyone else and they would be staying at hotels or motels at the cost of anywhere from $100 to $189 a night."
Fitzpatrick-Hopkin said the suite will be available to anyone who lives a long distance away from the hospital.
"There are some families who just can not do the travel," she said. "While this isn't a big piece of medical equipment, you know, it is of equal value for our families so that they can be close."
Queen Elizabeth Hospital previously had a separate apartment that is no longer available. The space was used for more than 18 years, and officials said it was occupied most of the time.
The new space was donated by Bevan Enterprises, and the QEH Foundation raised over $10,000 to have it furnished.
Trevor Bevan, co-owner of Bevan Enterprises, said the company was happy to have the opportunity to give back to the hospital.
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