When a patient arrives in Royal University Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit, every second matters.
My name is Dr. Susan Shaw. I’m a critical care specialist at RUH, and I’m writing because we are expanding our Intensive Care Unit to meet the growing need for critical care in Saskatchewan.
Before I go any further, I want to thank you. Your past support of patient care at Royal University Hospital has helped ensure our team is ready for whoever comes through our doors next.
Our patients arrive by helicopter and by ambulance, from the operating room and from other wards across the hospital. Some are recovering from open-heart surgery. Some have been in devastating accidents. Despite their different circumstances, these patients share one critical reality: their bodies are under immense stress, and our team must rapidly assess the situation and begin life-saving treatment.
Most families remember the ICU. Most patients don’t. They are too sick to know where they are. It is their families who remember: the phone call, the drive to the hospital, the hours spent waiting – and the moment someone from our team comes out to explain what is happening.
Every day, our team cares for some of the sickest patients in Saskatchewan. As demand for critical care continues to grow, so does the need for more space and better tools.
Today our ICU has 19 beds. When the expansion is finished, it will have 26 single-patient rooms, allowing us to care for more critically ill patients while creating a better environment for patients and families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
It is a major investment in critical care for Saskatchewan.
But walls and rooms alone do not save lives.
The physicians, nurses and care teams working in those rooms need technology that helps them make critical decisions when every minute counts.
One of the most important tools we use is portable ultrasound.
At the bedside and in real time, portable ultrasound allows us to see what is happening inside the body. It helps us identify problems sooner, make faster treatment decisions and avoid delays when time is critical. When we can see clearly, we can act quickly.
Just as importantly, it gives us answers. And those answers allow us to provide families with clear information about what is happening to someone they love.
That is why I am asking for your help today.
Our goal is $350,000 to equip the new ICU with two portable ultrasound machines and a cardiac probe, ensuring the new space is ready to deliver the highest standard of care from the day it opens.
Will you make a gift today?
Every dollar you give will be matched up to $175,000 by Westbridge Capital Ltd. doubling what your gift can do.
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Your gift, combined with those of other donors from across the province, will put these essential tools in the hands of our team the day the new ICU opens. It will do something more.
Investing in the right equipment sends a powerful message to the physicians, nurses and specialists who choose to work here. It tells them their work matters. It helps us attract exceptional people to RUH and keep them caring for patients in Saskatchewan.
You never expect to need intensive care. But if you or someone you love ever does, we will be here.
Please help us be ready.
On behalf of everyone in the ICU at RUH, thank you.
Sincerely,
Dr. Susan Shaw
Critical Care Specialist, Royal University Hospital
P.S. Please make your gift by December 31, 2026, to ensure that it is matched up to an incredible $175,000 by Westbridge Capital Ltd.
Dr. Susan Shaw, Critical Care Specialist
Dr. Susan Shaw in the ICU at RUH
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Find out more about the need for an expansion to the ICU at RUH:
