Representatives of the Kindersley & District Health Centre and Kindersley and District Health and Wellness Foundation (KDHWF) stand in one of several rooms in the acute care section of the health centre to be painted and refurnished as part of the foundation’s Revitalize-A-Room campaign. (l-r) Sharon Forsyth, the facility manager for the health centre, Joanne Kosolofski, a KDHWF director, Vivian Kalmer, the KDHWF administrator, and Nancy Knorr, the centre’s assistant head nurse.

Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion

The Kindersley and District Health and Wellness Foundation (KDHWF) has wrapped up a fundraising campaign to upgrade more than 100 rooms at the integrated health centre.

In February 2016, the KDHWF launched its Revitalize-A-Room campaign with the goal of raising more than $100,000 to upgrade patient and client rooms at the Kindersley & District Health Centre. The foundation reached its goal early in 2017, according to a spokesperson.

A total of $105,135 had been raised within a year of starting the campaign. As part of the initiative, roughly 80 rooms in Heritage Manor, the health centre’s long-term care facility, and more than 20 rooms in the hospital would be upgraded.

Not all rooms have been finished, but work is well underway.

The upgrades to the rooms include a fresh coat of paint, new curtains and a couple new pieces of furniture.

As the cost to upgrade each room was estimated at about $1,000, the campaign only ended when the goal was reached.

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Several of the rooms in Heritage Manor have been refurbished. According to Nancy Knorr, the assistant head nurse at the health centre, nearly all rooms in one wing of the hospital have been finished, and maintenance staff will start on the second wing when the first wing is done. All of the furnishings have been purchased, Knorr said.

The Revitalize-A-Room campaign came out of discussions between foundation members and health centre officials. Each year they meet to discuss capital plans for the health centre and to see if the foundation could help.

Heartland Health Region already had plans to start refurbishing rooms in Heritage Manor, so the foundation formed a committee and started the campaign to help move the project forward.

Joanne Kosolofski, a KDHWF director and a spokesperson for the campaign, helped to spearhead the initiative as a member of the committee. The campaign has been a success and the KDHWF spokesperson said she wanted to recognize all of the people who donated.

“Thank you to our community that is supportive in so many fundraising efforts,” Kosolofski said, recognizing that the community continues to come through whether money is being raised for recreation, health care or other causes.

She said the foundation reached its goal earlier in 2017, but officials waited to announce the result. Most donations to the campaign were made by individuals. Kosolofski said it made sense to wait until more of the rooms had been refurbished before making the announcement.

After meeting with the centre’s officials prior to the initiative, she said a partnership was formed between KDHWF and Heartland. She noted that Heartland provided the labour and paint while the foundation purchased the furnishings and curtains. Rooms in Heritage Manor had not been painted since the facility opened in 1986 and rooms in the hospital needed work, so it is satisfying to see the changes in progress.

“You walk into a facility and you see the changes, and then realize how long it’s been,” she said, adding that the rooms look much better. “We’re ecstatic that we’re moving forward and making it comfortable for the acute patients and residents of the manor.”

Sharon Forsyth, the facility manager at the health centre, said the residents of Heritage Manor are enjoying a fresh look to their rooms. The upgrades have been “really uplifting” for residents because the facility is their home and the experience is similar to walking into a house with fresh paint and new furnishings, she said.

She noted that maintenance is a big job at the health centre. Forsyth said officials have plans in place for upgrades, but funds from the campaign have helped to make an impact on the facility and people deserve credit.

“We are so thankful for this community,” she said, recognizing that the community’s contribution to the revitalization initiative has been impressive and even the staff is enjoying the refurbished surroundings at work. “We wouldn’t have been able to do that without the support from the community.”

Forsyth said the initiative helped to replace furniture as old as the rooms, so it made a huge difference and a fresh coat of paint went a long way.

The health region is also replacing flooring in Heritage Manor, so the flooring will help to complement the room upgrades. It was nice to work with the KDHWF to make the centre a more enjoyable place for the patients and residents, the facility manager added.

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