Guy Mercier (left) presents a $1 million donation to the hospital foundation with his granddaughter Briar, son Justin and his daughter Aimée. Aimée is holding a photo of her grandmother Rita.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Royal Inland Hospital Foundation
January 04, 2023 - 8:58 AM
Royal Inland Hospital's newborn care unit is getting a $1 million boost from a local businessman and philanthropist.
Guy Mercier made the donation for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to commemorate his mother, Rita C. Mercier, according to a RIH Foundation news release issued today, Jan. 4.
His mother's strength, perseverance and tireless dedication to her family keeps them strong to this day, but Mercier's parents also suffered the loss of four children, each before the age of four, according to the news release.
“Listening to my mother tell the stories of the loss of their new born daughter and three sons provided a perspective of what many parents go through with a sick baby or toddler. This was one way for my family to impact change,” Mercier said in the news release.
Intensive neonatal treatment wasn't available in their small Quebec community at the time.
The new neonatal ICU includes eight single bassinet rooms and four stabilization bays in the Gaglardi Tower. Parents can also now stay overnight with their newborns in the hospital.
The old space did not allow for privacy nor the option to stay overnight.
Mercier's donation will fit a refrigerator and a sleeper chair in each private room so overnight parents can sleep more comfortably in the intensive care unit.
"To create a neonatal environment conducive to natural healing and development, this meaningful donation will also help to purchase Giraffe Beds, essential for the comfort and protection of RIH’s youngest patients," chief of pediatrics Dr. Denise Chapple said in the release.
Mercier founded Acres Enterprises Ltd. in 1980, then sold the business in 2012 to focus on real estate development and philanthropy, according to the release. He's supported the RIH Foundation for 20 years and has donated to other organizations like Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops Woman's Shelter and the B.C. Wildlife Park.
“I met Guy when I first started at the Foundation. His acute attention to the healthcare needs in Kamloops was apparent immediately. Since then, we have worked with him in a multitude of ways," Heidi Coleman, RIH Foundation CEO said.
Coleman said he's donated to emergency department renovations and offered commercial space for an event in the past.
"This newest gift has changed the way families and their newborns receive care in our hospital. We are very grateful for his ongoing support," she said.
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