Emergency 4 Bay Paediatric Ward

Nambour General Hospital now has it's own specially designed children's emergency area thanks to the $114,000 raised at the 2010 Wishlist Spring Carnival gala.

The Coast's littlest patients can now be treated in a specially designed paediatric area thanks to the generosity of the business community who helped Wishlist raise the $114,000 needed to build the 4-bay ward. The upgrade was made possible through the 2010 Wishlist Spring Carnival Gala, which was hosted by Sunrise's Natalie Barr with celebrity guest Jennifer Hawkins in attendance.

Every cent from the event went towards building the emergency paediatric ward which includes a treatment room, five beds and four bays, all brightly decorated by local artist Kendall.

 Each bay has a theme: The main treatment room has taken on a circus theme, complete with dangling hoolahoops, a big top tent and fibre-optic lights. Other themes include Under the Sea, Secret Garden, The Jungle and Down on the Farm.

Kendall captured her goal of incoporating bright colours and murals to provide talking points for the kids and take their minds off the emergency treatment.

Emergency department staff were thrilled with the new ward as previously children would have to be treated alongside other emergency patients including drunks and those that had been in serious accidents. Lisa Rasmussen, Nurse Unit Manager, said it could be quite daunting for children coming into the emergency department, and the seperate ward area would greatly benefit paitents and their parents.

"Children should not be exposed to the many things that occur in a busy emergency ward and this new area will help their treatment and make their stay a bit less stressful."

Wishlist thanks the organisers and sponsors of the 2010 Wishlist Spring Carnival gala for helping make this huge project a reality for the Coast's kids and their families. The paediatric emergency ward has been taking kids since its inauguration in August 2011.