Kudos to BUH from City Hall

The strong performance of Battlefords Union Hospital has not gone unnoticed at North Battleford City Hall.

City officials who had direct experience with the hospital lately singled it out for recognition at Monday's council meeting.

Among those with positive comments was Finance Director Matthew Hartney, who was congratulated at Monday's council meeting by Mayor Ian Hamilton as the first-time father of a baby girl.

The baby, named Charlotte, was born at BUH last week.

"Our local hospital, Battlefords Union Hospital, had exceptional service and it was a real privilege to have our daughter born in North Battleford," said Hartney.

That prompted Councillor Ray Fox to note a recent scary incident in a soccer match when his son was in a collision that also required a trip to the hospital. The other boy involved suffered stitches and a concussion.

Despite the incident, Fox had praise for BUH.

"The nurses and this hospital staff were excellent," he said. That prompted Hamilton to respond "our hospital staff do not hear that enough."

The direct anecdotes from city officials about positive experiences with BUH come on the heels of some independent recognition of the hospital's efforts during this past spring.

In April, Battlefords Union Hospital received an "A" rating in a survey of hospitals done by CBC's The Fifth Estate. The hospital ranked second overall to Saskatoon's City Hospital in the entire province, and ranked first among mid-sized hospitals.