Operation: NST Machine for Chilliwack!

Many of you have heard the news that Chilliwack General Hospital is closing it’s maternity ward and every. single. woman. from Boston Bar, Hope, Agassiz, Harrison, Chilliwack, Mission, Abbotsford, Aldergrove etc. seeking prenatal, birth, and postpartum care will be diverted to Abbotsford Regional Hospital. ARH is already a very busy maternity ward and they will absolutely not be able to handle the influx of patients (which will mean further diversions for these women as far as Vancouver!). This is not just for labour support, this is for triage assessments, non-stress tests, fetal growth monitoring, precipitous births and the list goes on. As a birth doula, a mother, and a women in the Fraser Valley, my heart is broken. This is not ok. The mother’s and babies in our communities deserve better.

I’ve started this Go Fund because Maternity Tree, a local midwifery clinic run by 2 incredible midwives, have agreed to open their doors to run an NST clinic from their space so all the women in the eastern Fraser Valley have the option of having their NST’s done by a registered midwife, in a safe clinic space in Chilliwack instead of now being forced to drive all the way into Abbotsford weekly (sometimes multiple times a week). NST machines are not cheap, but I know if we all give a little we can work together to provide Maternity Tree with the equipment they need to help care for the women in our communities. Thank you so much everyone!