Two local organizations recently spent an afternoon listening, learning and discussing the shared impact of new equipment being used in an innovative way at the Royal Alexandra Hospital to improve patient comfort and outcomes.
MHCare Medical was hosted by several members of the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation as second-time donors. They were able to get an up-close look at the equipment that their latest gift helped fund, building on a steadily growing partnership that began just two short years ago.
MHCare Medical joined several Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation team members and local media to see the new equipment in action and better understand how it will improve patient care and comfort for many years to come.
Founder and CEO Sam Mraiche recalled his father’s experience at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and how the equipment may have helped.
It was back in early 2021, when pandemic restrictions were in place. “It was heart-wrenching to leave your loved ones alone, and the language barrier made it even more difficult,” recalls Mraiche. “The ultrasound IV may have helped my father’s discomfort and the discomfort of many patients.”
In late 2021, MHCare Medical made its first major donation of $100,000 in support of the hospital’s respiratory care unit, including the purchase of one of these new cutting-edge ultrasound devices.
MHCare Medical recently donated its second major gift of $110,000 to the foundation, which went towards the purchase of four more new portable ultrasound machines to support the Royal Alexandra Hospital’s medicine department. These portable devices can be used for guided intravenous (IV) insertion for patients with difficult IV starts. The machines help improve accuracy and minimize time spent initiating IVs, which can also reduce delays in patient treatment.
The equipment can also be used for training and educating health care professionals. The MHCare team members note the impact this will have for both the patients and practitioners.
“When hospital care or treatment is required, the smallest nuances to make that experience as best as possible are so important for the individual’s physical and mental health and the same goes for that of the care providers,” says Blayne Iskiw, MHCare Medical’s executive vice-president. “MHCare being able to support that best possible experience aligns with the ethos of our organization.”
Sam Mraiche indicates it is his way of giving back. “The Royal Alexandra Hospital took my father in and treated him like family,” he says. “The care they gave him and the other patients shows that the hospital is a world-class facility.”
The Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation gratefully acknowledges the generosity and vision of MHCare Medical’s CEO Sam Mraiche to improve patient care and comfort as well as efficiency and innovation.
It’s clear that MHCare Medical is committed to continued support in the advancement of health care in the province of Alberta and they understand the need for continuous improvement in patient care.
“It’s gratifying to be able to support one of the first hospitals established in Edmonton and to be able to contribute to the advancement in tools and technology, which helps the hospital provide improved patient care,” states Imen Haymour, MHCare Medical vice-president. “We are excited and looking forward to the growing relationship with the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation.”
