This year, Gaspésie is receiving more than $400,000 to improve the care journey and overall health of children in the region.
Enfant Soleil helps more than 100 healthcare facilities across the province and provides invaluable support to the four major pediatric centres, which give specialized and sub-specialized care to any child who needs it.
Spotlight on a project promising beautiful things on the horizon
Hôpital de Gaspé
Currently, a single pediatrician sees to the care of 1,100 children at this hospital. Thanks to this $350,000 grant, the medical facility will be able to open a new pediatric clinic and welcome a second pediatrician, which will increase pediatric outpatient services for the entire region. Adding a nurses’ station in charge of preparations and evaluations will also expand the clinic’s capacity. This project will make it possible to provide comprehensive and preventive care, thus reducing congestion in the region’s emergency departments. It will also help meet the needs of a greater number of children and reduce the need for families to travel to other hospitals for pediatric consultations.
Welcoming a new pediatrician and setting up adapted rooms for other specialists (nutrition, social work, special education, etc.) will allow nearly 3,000 young patients to receive care. Reduced wait times for families will also significantly improve access to specialized care.
Helping grown-ups improve young lives
Essential support for the entire pediatric ecosystem
Discover other projects funded in the region
1 pediatric cart
- This cart is designed specifically for children, with a safe, stable structure adapted to their size and several drawers for efficient organization of pediatric equipment. Its addition will help speed up interventions, improve the quality of care and tangibly support the care teams that will be using it.
1 pediatric exam table
- Essential in a pediatric setting, this exam table will make it easier to collect samples and care for young patients. It will optimize the work of the medical teams while increasing the children’s comfort and safety.
1 bilirubinometer
- Jaundice affects 60% of full-term newborns. A bilirubinometer makes it easier to detect this condition by gently and safely measuring the level of bilirubin in the baby’s blood.
*These projects are jointly funded by Enfant Soleil and Santé Québec. 2025–2026 funding made possible through an agreement initiated with the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux.
2 pediatric wheelchairs
- These child-sized wheelchairs will allow children to move around more safely and freely.
*These projects are jointly funded by Enfant Soleil and Santé Québec. 2025–2026 funding made possible through an agreement initiated with the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux.
2 bilirubinometers
- Bilirubinometers help detect jaundice in babies. These tools are highly sought-after and there are currently only two in the entire region. These additions, available for home visits, will significantly reduce the number of neonatal blood draws needed, helping minimize pain and stress for the babies. The quicker and gentler screening will also help reduce delays in treatment and the length of hospital stays.
*These projects are jointly funded by Enfant Soleil and Santé Québec. 2025–2026 funding made possible through an agreement initiated with the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux.
Sports equipment
- The purchase of sports equipment (bicycles, helmets, basketball nets and basketballs) will give the centre’s staff a means of intervention through play. By appealing to young people’s interests, this equipment will encourage them to engage and take action while boosting their confidence and self-esteem.
- This project is funded by the Sport and Sustainable Health Fund, which aims to promote and support healthy lifestyle habits in children through sports, physical activity and healthy eating while also fostering emotional and mental well-being.
Abbygaël Martin, Enfant Soleil for Gaspésie
Abbygaël and her family are brilliant ambassadors who courageously share their story and reality.
Abbygaël has never needed words to make herself understood. She doesn’t verbalize her thoughts: she draws them in the air, with her fingertips, with the precision and grace of sign language. Her daily life is a well-established routine. At school, her tablet speaks for her when hand movements are not sufficient to convey her thoughts. At home, the spaces are adapted according to her needs, with a hospital bed, a lift and ramps. In 2025, her previously functional hips could no longer seem to remain in place, making movement difficult and painful. A major pelvic reconstruction was planned, followed by several weeks of recovery. Travelling to the Centre mère-enfant Soleil in Québec City has become routine. From her very first months of life, Abby has had frequent appointments with specialists, who diagnosed her with Joubert syndrome, a rare genetic disease that affects brain development. And yet, none of this sums up who Abby is. What defines her is the way she brings people together and forces them to slow down, to decipher a look and to listen differently.