Here's how your support is helping CHEO

The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) has recently opened a second intensive care unit to help more children get the care they need and its critical care director says your support is needed.

Director of critical care and surgical services at CHEO, Adam Lamoureux, told CTV Morning Live Thursday CHEO is always ready for help whenever need be.

"And our critical care unit, ebbs and flows. Right now, our neo ICUs are quite busy across CHEO and the city. And on the pediatric side, yeah, we are seeing more injuries. Kids are out playing and get hurt as well," Lamoureux said.

While the capital city grows, the need grows with it, he says, noting that CHEO helps people across Ottawa, eastern Ontario, western Quebec and even patients from Nunavut.

He notes that the equipment, supply and education the team needs in order to respond to the medical needs of children is "significant." Lamoureux says the simple things can help.

"Everything from ventilators that need to be able to serve premature infants all the way up to 18 year olds, the beds, we need cribs, and we need incubators and we need full-size beds for some of our bigger kids, so that is complex. It costs a lot of money and that’s really where the donor money helps," he said.

"And there's more simple things like rocking chairs and what we call sleeper chairs for moms and dads to spend nights at their child's bedside."

The 41st annual CHEO Telethon wraps up Saturday on CTV News Ottawa after a two-week campaign of raising money and awareness about Ottawa's children's hospital. This year's telethon fundraising campaign began May 27.

You can make a donation online through www.cheotelethon.com or by calling 613-730-CHEO (2436).

With files from CTV News Ottawa's Ted Raymond