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Fort McMurray, Alberta - The Northern Lights Health Foundation is very pleased to announce that Sakasteew Transportation has pledged their support to the Health Foundation’s Gratitude Campaign in the amount of $50,000. On Thursday May 18, 2017 the Health Foundation and Sakasteew Transportation celebrated this gift with a cheque presentation at their Fort McKay office. These funds will be dedicated to the Minimally Invasive Surgical Suite (MIS) project.
The MIS project is a state of the art upgrade to four surgical suites at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre and will provide significant improvement to patient recovery times and outcomes: less time under anesthesia, quicker recovery, shorter hospital stays, less pain, better cosmetic results, and fewer complications. Benefits of the suite upgrades also include giving surgeons more control over the surgical space, quicker procedure and turnover times, the ability to consult and train other physicians on site and increased patient, physician, and nurse safety. Currently, the Health Centre is the only regional hospital in Alberta that does not have this technology.
Marie Boucher, long time resident of Fort McKay and founder and owner of Sakasteew Transportation, is known for her generosity, her mothering heart, and she is dedicated to the health and wellbeing of her family, her community and her customers. It is this strong belief in helping others that moved Marie to get involved in the campaign. Marie's daughter and grandchildren were born at the Northern Lights Regional Health Centre and Marie's mother, family and friends have stayed on the Continuing Care floor where she says they were very well taken care of. She believes in the importance of supporting the Health Foundations’ Gratitude Campaign so that her community and all people in the region can continue to receive the care they need close to home.
The Northern Lights Health Foundation is extremely excited to the have Sakasteew on board with the campaign. Director of Development Lorna Ash says “Establishing long lasting relationships with our Aboriginal partners in the region is extremely important to us. Health care is for everyone, which is why the Gratitude Campaign and Alberta Health Services takes an all-encompassing approach on providing services and programs that will impact the entire region.” Ash also says that traveling to health centres outside of Fort McMurray can be challenging for everyone, especially rural residents. “We all have a vested interest in ensuring those community members have access to high quality health care right here at home, when and where they need it. Together, with the generous support of individuals and companies like Marie Boucher and Sakasteew Transportation, we can make this possible.”
About Sakasteew Transportation
The company name “Sakasteew” means “Morning Sunrise…A New Beginning”. Established in 2002, Sakasteew Transportation is an Aboriginally owned company located in the growing Fort McKay First Nation. They provide ground personnel transportation services for industrial workers and VIPs, CNRL, Suncor, Fort Hills, Airport Shuttles, Camp Shuttles, Community Shuttles to different plant sites, as well as Site Shuttle Services and special tours. Sakasteew is a COR Safety holder and is recognized as one of the safest and largest First Nation transportation companies in northern Alberta.
About the Northern Lights Health Foundation
Established in 1985, the Northern Lights Health Foundation exists to provide funds to support health care priorities within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. The Health Foundation is proudly accredited under Imagine Canada’s Standards Program. For more information, visit northernlightshealthfoundation.ca.
About The Gratitude Campaign
The $16 million Gratitude Campaign is the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the history of the Northern Lights Health Foundation. The Campaign is comprised of eight projects: Minimally Invasive Surgical Suites, the Multi-purpose Clinic, Palliative Care, Community Clinics, Health Centre Lobby, the Healthy Schools Initiative, Continuing Care and the Early Investments Project. For more information, visit gratitudecampaign.ca.
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For more information, please contact:
Lana Luchenski
Donor Relations Officer
Northern Lights Health Foundation
Tel: 780-788-1715
Email: lana.luchenski@ahs.ca
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