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Lots of excitement from the children and families who will be helped by the pediatric pod at South Health Campus once it opens #yyc pic.twitter.com/MkGYt0n9XB — Stephanie Babych (@BabychStephanie) May 31, 2019

Matt Jones, MLA for Calgary-South East, said the pediatric pod is needed so that families don’t have to drive across the city for the care they need, which can cause additional stress for children and parents.

“I have four kids but with three boys I have been here before, and they’ve had to use the themed rooms already here,” said Jones. “It puts them at ease and when children are at ease, parents are at ease.”

Mike Meldrum, Calgary Health Trust president and CEO, said the pod will be a customized and comfortable area in the six-year-old hospital, with nine beds and bright murals on the walls.

“We can see that different spaces like this make things better for the families that live here,” said Meldrum. “We often hear from people who can look outside and see the hospital on the horizon. It’s a comfort that great care is so close to home, especially for those with young children.”

The hospital’s medical director, Dr. Colin Del Castilho, was bouncing with excitement during the announcement.

“I consider the South Health Campus my sixth child, no offence to my other kids but this one has been the hardest one to raise,” said Del Castilho as those listening laughed.

“We’ve been very busy … The emergency department has taken it upon themselves to do bake sales and try to raise funds through a Fun Run in September 2018. At the pace we were going, I told them, ‘You’re doing a great job and in 4,000 years, we will get that pod.'”

Del Castilho expressed his gratitude for the person behind the anonymous donation. South Health Campus had been fundraising the money for the pediatric emergency care space for a while, and with the addition of the $3.9-million donation, the pod is expected to open over the summer.

sbabych@postmedia.com

On Twitter: @BabychStephanie