As part of a larger gift made to your Hospital, the County of Grande Prairie No. 1, has donated the funds to purchase nearly 300 televisions for patient rooms, common areas and the cancer treatment chairs in the Cancer Clinic.

Bringing patients at Grande Prairie Regional Hospital the familiar comforts of a favourite program, or the simple distraction from waiting for medical treatment is a necessary part of patient care and important step in providing the best healthcare in our region.

“Everyone in our region will be using Grande Prairie Regional Hospital for whatever their medical needs are,” said Reeve Bob Marshall from the County of Grande Prairie. “We will all benefit from having televisions available in the hospital.”

Marshall said that the donation from the County was an important contribution to make. “Patients have enough unfortunate issues going on while they are in the hospital. This will help take their mind off why they’re here to begin with,” he said. “From a mental health perspective, it’s a benefit for every patient and family member staying here.”

In the initial phase of this project, televisions have been mounted in most patient rooms throughout GPRH, providing patients with an option to watch television on cable with access to 49 channels. In the Cancer Clinic, specialized TVs with the same cable access are installed beside every treatment chair for those patients who spend long hours sitting there hooked up to an IV.

Grande Prairie Hospital Foundation couldn’t be more grateful for the County’s continued support of our region’s healthcare “The County’s advocacy of healthcare was integral to getting this project done,” said GPRHF Chairperson Derek Mosenko. “Having TVs in patient rooms will help people from around our region who are receiving treatment and care at our hospital,” he said.

Since the televisions have been installed, the feedback has been positive. Schmidt said that his position has him frequently walking through units and past patient rooms. He sees the TVs being used.

“In the  days after the TVs were installed, almost every TV was on all the time. That’s fantastic. It’s great to see donations being used and valued by patients,” he said.

The County of Grande Prairie has felt the gratitude as well. Members of our region have reached out to Reeve Marshall to thank County Council for allocating funds to this project and improving patient experience at the hospital.

Mosenko said that the Foundation was excited to work with the County to complete the project and install the televisions for patients at GPRH “The Board of Trustees would like to thank the County for their support throughout this.”

“Increasing patient comfort at a time that people are at our hospital receiving treatment, is instrumental in creating excellence in healthcare within our region,” he said.

Information provided by the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation