Parents of premature babies born at Montreal’s Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital can now benefit from Préma-Québec’s first-ever accommodation in the city – a low-cost apartment complex that’s a 10-minute walk from the hospital.
The organization unveiled the service centre called L’Escale in April to allow parents to remain close to their child in the neonatal unit.
“To us, L’escale from Prema Québec is a blessing because it will give the opportunity to parents who were outside of the city or far away from the hospital to be closer to the hospital,” said Isabelle Milette, a neonatal nurse practitioner at the neonatal intensive care unit at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital.
For $10 a day, parents have access to an apartment complex.
“It’s a five-and-a-half apartment. We have three rooms that are locked, so they’re private rooms, and they share the bathroom, the kitchen, and the laundry room,” said Isabelle Doucet, services director for Préma-Québec .
Jean-Philippe Mercier, a social worker for Préma-Québec, says it’s essential for parents to be in close proximity to their child.
“For parents who have a premature baby, the first and most important thing is to be close to their baby,” he said. “So this resource provides a place, a peaceful environment, where parents can rest close to the hospital. This is what enables them to spend as much time as possible with their children, at their bedside, but at the same time, to have access to a place where they can rest.”
Milette adds that it is beneficial for both the parent, and the child.
“The fact that they’re closer, we’ve demonstrated over the last few weeks, means that they’re actually more present at the bedside. Being more present at the bedside means doing more skin-to-skin care with their infant, with all the benefits it has for the baby but also for the parent.” she said.
“So emotionally, they don’t feel torn between having to travel, being stuck in traffic, and being present for their infant, right? And so to us, that physical presence, that closeness, that proximity that parents have because of L’Escale is something that we can’t put a price on. It just makes such a big difference.”
L’Escale accommodates three families a day, with a potentially varying duration of accommodation.
Parents who live more than 55 kilometres away will be given priority.
“The duration of this stay really depends on the baby’s health and progress, so they can stay here from a couple of days to a couple of weeks,” said Doucet.
Doucet adds if the pilot project goes well, they will probably expand in other neonatal units that don’t have any resources right now.
In a news release, Ginette Mantha, founder and general director of Préma-Québec stated that, “For the next 12 months, L’Escale Préma-Québec has the potential to accommodate up to 85 families.”
An estimate of more than 60% of parents whose premature baby was hospitalized at Montreal’s Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in the past three years might have also benefited from L’escale, in order to have more time with their baby.
The project is financed 100 per cent by public donations, but required an investment of $15,000. Tanguay also sponsored furniture and appliances.
To learn more on how you can help, visit Préma-Québec’s website.