Northam is one of thirteen hospitals that have been supplied with Cold Cuddle Cots to ensure all families, regardless of location, are provided with time to say goodbye.
Grieving parents who have lost a newborn baby will be able to spend unlimited time with their child to say goodbye, as a result of a State-wide rollout of Cold Cuddle Cots.
The refrigerated cots allow the family to spend additional time with their baby, in their room.
Used mainly for stillbirths, thirteen Cold Cuddle Cots have been distributed to regional hospitals across Western Australia since 2015 funded by the Department of Health.
Western Australian midwife Kristy Wiegele was instrumental in ensuring Cold Cuddle Cots were available in regional maternity hospitals.
Following Ms Wiegele's donation of a Cold Cuddle Cot through fundraising, and subsequent meetings with the Department of Health, a decision was made by the department to fund additional Cold Cuddle Cots at regional hospitals with maternity units.
The delivery of the final cot in Narrogin this month means that, in addition to all metropolitan hospitals with maternity units, there are now Cold Cuddle Cots at hospitals including Northam and Esperance.
Health Minister Roger Cook thanked Ms Wiegele for starting the initiative.
“Her commitment to ensures that every family in Western Australia has access to these special cots at a time of great need and during unimaginable sadness,” he saidm
"While no new parent ever wishes to have the need of a Cold Cuddle Cot, the availability of one at a time of great tragedy provides families with the additional time they need to say goodbye to their baby.”
