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Foundation begins drive for new LMH maternity centre

Gift of $1 million from Vandekerkhove family gets campaign started.

Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation has received its largest single gift from an individual or family.

The $1 million gift from the Vandekerkhove family (well known for their family business, the Super Save Group of Companies) marks the beginning of a $5.35 million campaign to expand the Family Maternity Centre at Langley Memorial Hospital.

Langley Memorial Hospital has one of busiest maternity units in the region, with approximately 1,800 births per year. Staggering statistics demonstrate that the projected number of births at LMH is expected to increase to more than 2,300 by 2020.

The number of births at Langley Memorial Hospital has increased from 85 per year in 1948 (when LMH opened) to 1,800 per year in 2010. But the number of beds for these babies to be born in has only increased by 2 — from 11 to 13.

The expansion includes seven additional labour/delivery/recovery/postpartum rooms and relocation of the current maternity clinic, next to the existing hospital maternity unit. The additional rooms will be designed for single room maternity care (SRMC), a model that is based on best practice and contributes to a better childbirth experience by supporting family-centred care.

With the seven new rooms, the total number of SRMC spaces will increase to 20 to better manage current and future demand. The clinic operates at full capacity, completing more than 10,000 patient visits every year. The expansion also includes several other additions and improvements, and infrastructure upgrades to support this, and any other future expansion project at Langley Memorial Hospital.

The maternity clinic is served by a dedicated and committed team of family physicians, who provide excellent prenatal care to women who have no family doctor, or whose doctor does not practice primary maternity care.

Fraser Health will pay $6.31 million of the total $11.66 million required. Under the theme “It All Starts Here,” the Foundation is launching a capital campaign to raise the remaining $5.35 million from private partners and members of the community. At Saturday’s Langley Memorial; Hospital Gala event, the Foundation announced that more than $1.5 million has been raised to date.

Established in 1985, the Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation has raised more than $30 million to support Langley Memorial Hospital and the healthcare needs of the Langley communities.