January 24-31 marks the fifth annual Sturgeon Community Hospital Week (SCHW). Originally started in 2015, SCHW aims to raise awareness towards the hospital’s goals for the present and the future. More specifically, Sturgeon Hospital Week Chair Katherine MacMillan says Hospital Week aims to showcase what makes the facility a special place.
“Many people use the hospital, but they tend to us it for one thing,” MacMillan says. “[They’re] unaware of all of the other great work our hospital does.”
In particular, MacMillan highlights some of the industry-leading research that takes place at the Sturgeon Community Hospital.
“I don’t know how many people know that we do research at the hospital in upper extremity research. We are doing some absolutely amazing research in that area.”
The Sturgeon Community Hospital is focused on providing its patients with quality, personalized care for those in St. Albert and the surrounding communities, such as Morinville and Sturgeon County. Other services include various areas dedicated to counselling for various issues like addiction and mental health.
For SCHW, MacMillan says the hospital is proud to play host to a variety of different events aimed and educating the community with key information. This includes an anti-bullying seminar, which is set to take place on January 31 and will feature special guests Kimberly Poong from Alberta Health Services and Kim Edwards from Dare to Care.
“Bullying is a serious problem, not just in schools, but I believe it’s a serious problem in workplaces and I believe it’s a serious problem with social media and cyberbullying. We believe that we can expand our offering to build on each one of these segments.”
In addition to this, the hospital will also be hosting two open houses on February 5. The first will be from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., while the second will be from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. MacMillan hopes that the Open House will allow those in the surrounding community to see the different opportunities available to them within the hospital, including partnering with schools to prepare individuals for the future.
“We are trying to help students recognize the opportunities that exist for employment in the hospital. Partnering with somebody like Norquest can help them understand what courses they need to be taking to get into certain programs and how else they can be building for the future.”
MacMillan goes on to say that there are a variety of different positions at the hospital for many different skill sets, from doctors and nurses to the health records management department. As it stands right now, the Sturgeon Community Hospital is one of the largest employers in the city.
To learn more about SCHW or to sign up for any events, visit the Sturgeon Community Hospital Foundation’s website.
