Supporting Life’s First Moments: Sandra Schmirler Foundation Helps Emergency Department with Newborn Warming Equipment

From left to right: Marcie Dumais, Director Community Engagement Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation (CVHF), Tanya Del Bianco, Clinical Nurse Educator Comox Valley Hospital (CVH), Sarah Palmer, Emergency Department Manager CVH, Lindsay Sparkes from the Sandra Schmirler Foundation, Rhonda Stevens Co-Executive Director CVHF, Susan Auchterlonie, CVHF Board Chair, Darren Saare, Interim Site Director CVH.

The Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation is proud to share that a recent grant from the Sandra Schmirler Foundation has helped purchase a PANDA Infant Warmer for the Emergency Department at the Comox Valley Hospital. This life-saving equipment plays a critical role in supporting the care of newborns who require immediate and specialized attention.

The PANDA warmer provides a safe, controlled environment for infants in distress, ensuring they receive the warmth, monitoring, and resuscitation support needed during their first moments of life. With this advanced technology, the Emergency Department team at the Comox Valley Hospital will be better equipped to respond to urgent situations with the highest standard of neonatal care.

Since its inception, the Sandra Schmirler Foundation has helped fund over 100 hospital projects across Canada, driven by its mission to give every baby the chance to grow up and be a champion, like Sandra herself.

“We’re proud to help equip the Emergency Department at Comox Valley Hospital with a PANDA warmer - technology that truly saves lives,” says Darren McEwen from the Sandra Schmirler Foundation. “In those first critical moments after birth, having the right equipment can make all the difference. This grant reflects our commitment to ensuring babies born too soon, too small, too sick, or too far get the best possible start, no matter where they’re born. We’re honoured to support the exceptional care being delivered in Comox and to help champions start small on Vancouver Island.”

“The PANDA warmer is a vital piece of equipment that allows our Emergency Department to provide immediate, specialized care for newborns who need urgent support,” says Sarah Palmer, Manager of Comox Valley Emergency Department. “This new PANDA warmer allows our team to provide timely, specialized support for newborns when every second counts. We are deeply grateful to the Sandra Schmirler Foundation for recognizing the importance of accessible, high-quality care in our community.”

Thanks to this generous support, some of our most vulnerable patients—newborns in crisis—now have access to better outcomes and a stronger start in life.

The Comox Valley Healthcare Foundation is honoured to partner with organizations like the Sandra Schmirler Foundation, whose belief in the power of giving helps bring excellence and innovation to healthcare close to home.

For more information about the Sandra Schmirler Foundation visit https://sandraschmirler.org/.