How Ocean Grove Midwifery and Q̓ʷalayu House team up to support North Island families

Partnerships with health care professionals across the Island are integral to the success of our Homes away from home program. It’s often how families first learn about it.

That’s why we’re so grateful for Ocean Grove Midwifery Collective, a team of midwives that offers prenatal and postpartum care in the Campbell River community and surrounding areas, with roots dating back to 1998.

On any given month, the Ocean Grove team delivers 16 to 18 babies. Of the families they support, around 20 per cent stay at Q̓ʷalayu House.

Office Manager Shauna Guthrie recalls what it meant for their clients from remote communities like Port Hardy and Port McNeill when Q̓ʷalayu House first opened in 2021.

“I remember our clients were really excited to have a lovely option that was way less expensive and so much closer to the hospital.”

In Shauna’s eyes, Q̓ʷalayu House’s biggest impact is on families from remote communities who experience pregnancy complications.

“Last spring, we had a family from one of the outlying islands who stayed at Q̓ʷalayu House for six or seven weeks. Just the stress of living two boat rides away with a complicated pregnancy – they needed to be close to the hospital. Without Q̓ʷalayu House, I don’t know what they would have done. They couldn’t afford to spend $250 a night on a hotel for that long.”

And thanks to the great support we have in health care professionals like Ocean Grove Midwifery and donors like you, Q̓ʷalayu House can offer support for families in those challenging times.