Health care doesn’t stop at the hospital — especially for Island families far from home

Trina Knight is a self-proclaimed “lifer” at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital (NRGH). She began her nursing career there in 1993 as a student, later working in medical surgery before finding her home in the perinatal unit. Today, Trina is the manager of Child, Youth & Family at the hospital, where she oversees perinatal, pediatrics, and the neonatal intensive care unit.

“It’s a big job, but it’s very rewarding,” Trina shares. “When everything goes great with a birth, you barely notice we’re there. And then if things go sideways – there’s a premature baby or complications – we’re able to just get things done and support that family and really make a difference. Our team is like a well-oiled machine.”

More and more, that support for families must stretch beyond what the hospital can provide – because Nanaimo has the only neonatal ICU on Vancouver Island outside of Victoria. That means families must travel from all over the island to receive care. We see many families from Port Alberni, Comox Valley, Campbell River, Port McNeill, Port Hardy, and Ahousaht.

“Whenever we have an out-of-town family, our social worker will connect with them to make sure they have what they need – especially for the babies born really early, since those families are going to be in town for a long time.”

That’s where our Bear Essentials program steps in, supporting families to cover the cost of being away from home – things like; hotels, meals and transportation back and forth from the hospital.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in the need for supports in the last five years,” Trina says. “It is so hard right now with the cost of living. Many families were struggling before, and then they come here and have to be off work. So families are facing huge financial pressures.”

That’s why we’re so grateful for the amazing support of our donors. You help ease the stress on Island families in their toughest moments. So that health care professionals like Trina and her team can do what they do best – provide world-class care to mothers and their babies.

“Bear Essentials is such an important piece of the puzzle. Without that support, I don’t know what our families would do, honestly.”