Hospitals of Regina Foundation launches spring home lottery

The Hospitals of Regina Foundation (HRF) launched its spring home lottery on Wednesday by unveiling its $1.4-million grand prize show home in The Creeks.

The 4,200-square-foot, five-bedroom, five-bathroom home features a quartz island and dumbwaiter in the executive kitchen, which is connected by a three-sided gas fireplace to a sunken living room with lots of natural light.

The unique master bedroom comes with two sinks on separate counters and a large shower area with a skylight and a freestanding copper tub.

Stairs behind the living room lead to a basement rec room featuring a gym behind a glass wall, a projector screen and a bar area with a wine cellar.

HRF hopes to raise more than $2 million from the spring home lottery but has already committed $5 million to Regina’s hospitals in 2019. Three million dollars will be invested in 18 surgical booms at the Regina General and Pasqua hospitals.

“We need to keep up with the most advanced technology so our medical teams can provide the best care possible right here at home,” said HRF president and CEO Dino Sophocleous.

Dr. John Tsang, interim area lead for the department of surgery, explained a surgical boom is basically an arm that hangs from the ceiling. The booms allow for the safe use of medical gases, like oxygen during anesthesia, nitrogen for power equipment and carbon dioxide for minimally invasive procedures.

While Tsang said surgical booms may not sound glamorous, they are an essential part of the operating team.

“It’s kind of a bit like being on the Riders’ offensive line. Nobody really notices until somebody misses a block and the quarterback gets sacked,” Tsang said. “So if the equipment fails in the surgical boom, everybody notices.”

Some of the existing surgical booms are 30 years old and are prone to breaking down. They’re in need of repair but the parts are not all available anymore.

Two of the operating suites will also add an audio and visual component which will allow for more minimally invasive procedures.

“We could communicate with other physicians across the world to help us with some advanced procedures. We could use it for teaching purposes for our medical students,” said Tsang.

The show home is open for viewing by the public starting Saturday. Tickets for the spring home lottery are on sale and are selling fast. Those who purchase tickets by April 26 have a chance at winning some of the early bird prizes, including a BMW and trip to the Bahamas.

The draw for the $1.4-million show home is to be held May 10.