Seabridge Gold has made a donation to support the new Mills Memorial Hospital in Terrace.
Seabridge, with offices in Smithers and Terrace, announced Jan. 24 it is donating $25,000 to the Dr. R.E.M. Lee Foundation in support of a Tier III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for the new hospital which is nearing completion.
A Tier III NICU has the capacity to provide newborn care at 34 weeks, and 32 weeks in emergency cases, instead of the current 37 weeks, and also provides care to babies with medical or surgical conditions, regardless of age.
There is no other Tier III hospital in the northwestern B.C. health services delivery area, which stretches from Atlin and Dease Lake in the north to south of Kitimat, east to Smithers and Houston and west to Prince Rupert. The area spans 250,000 square kilometres and serves more than 75,000 people, including 40,000 in 28 First Nations.
The NICU will be a critical addition to MMH, expanding birthing capabilities and providing next-level care and comfort for families across the northwestern region who have pre-term and challenging births according to the Northern Health Authority. It will allow more mothers and their babies to stay closer to their families, communities and support systems during difficult times.
The new four-bed Tier III NICU will also provide the latest models of care to mothers and pre-term babies, which includes kitchenette and laundry facilities so that families can have full, 24-hour access to their loved ones before and after delivery.
“This initiative’s motto is ‘Closer to Home’ which aligns perfectly with our objective of providing jobs, opportunities and services to northwest B.C.,” said Seabridge Gold CEO Rudi Fronk. “Our aim is to help the region become more self-sustaining so that Indigenous families and communities can stay together for generations to come.”
Seabridge Gold is currently pursuing the development of the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell (KSM) gold, silver, molybdenum and copper mine in northern B.C., 65 km northwest of Stewart.