A dreamy home in Red Deer is just waiting for the lucky winner of the 2017 Hospitals’ Lottery.
It’s the 19th year for the local lottery that has raised more than $7 million over the years for Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.
The Dream Home, built by Sorento Custom Homes and valued at $839,900, features 3,494 square feet of finished living space. The bungalow is impressive with its unique modern exterior, a screened room to bring the outdoors inside, an airy fitness room enclosed with a glass wall, a kitchen with butler pantry and walk-through storage pantry, vaulted ceiling, and more.
Proceeds from the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation lottery will fund the purchase of 25 to 30 advanced surface therapeutic beds depending on ticket sales. The beds will replace basic hospital beds that are getting old.
A total of 102,000 tickets are available. Tickets are $35 each, three for $75, five for $100, and 15 for $250.
Robert Swanson, the hospital’s director of critical care and inpatient medicine services, said the hospital currently has nine therapeutic beds in the oncology and palliative wards to provide a higher level of comfort for patients and help reduce bed sores.
“In these beds they actually have an airflow just underneath the surface that helps to cool the patient. It also preserves skin integrity of patients as well so it doesn’t become more prone to break down,” Swanson told visitors who gathered Friday for the grand opening.
“Being a regional facility we often get the sickest of the sickest patients in our facility. It means they’re probably going to be staying a little longer. Their care needs are a little more complex. They may have mobility issues.”
The air-cushioned beds make it easier for patients to move while in bed and sit up. It’s also easier to transfer the patient onto a stretcher, Swanson said.
Robert Bilton, board chair of Red Deer Regional Health Foundation, said Red Deer hospital is one of the highest acuity hospitals in the province and serves a population of 450,000.
“We all know that Red Deer Regional Hospital hasn’t been funded to the level it needs. So we depend on you so much to bring a level of health care to Central Alberta that is second to none,” said Bilton to ticket buyers, as well as foundation volunteers and sponsors who make the lottery possible.
He said the foundation is also looking at raising money to possibly lease other buildings where non-essential hospital services could be moved since the hospital is running out of space and a plan to expand the hospital has yet to receive government funding.
Bilton urged the public to contact their MLAs and the health minister to let them know how urgently expansion is needed.
For lottery information visit hospitalslottery.com.
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com