Red Deer Polytechnic helps drive provincial health innovation

Red Deer Polytechnic helps
drive provincial health innovation

Published 1:09 pm Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Red Deer Polytechnic research student Haley Zinger is helping improve care for newborns with mothers who are, or have used, substances.

Since April 2025, Zinger has contributed to the initiative Alberta Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Mother Baby Care Improvement (NASCENT) which promotes mother-baby bonding and wraparound care by keeping mothers and infants together in the same room after birth instead of separating them by admitting the infant into a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

“For infants exposed to substances during pregnancy, that means mother‑baby togetherness does the
work that a NICU admission and medication once did,” said Zinger, in a statement.

Red Deer Polytechnic said Zinger’s work is an example of how RDP continues to expand its multi-disciplinary applied research capacity through projects that strengthen health and social outcomes across Alberta.

Zinger also collaborated with Recovery Alberta and Acute Care Alberta, reflecting RDP’s commitment to advancing evidence-based practice with provincial partners.

Before and after data was gathered through NASCENT.

“Comparing the two, we found a rise in breastfeeding rates and a decrease in NICU admissions, which in turn reduces costs for the health-care system,” said Zinger, whose work was supported through an Alberta Innovates Summer Research Studentship, with additional Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Mobilize funding during the academic year.

Zinger’s role includes data entry, supporting education days for care providers and contributing to projects that focus on the experiences of people with lived, and living experience, of substance use in pregnancy.

“These projects use a listening‑first approach, which means sitting down with participants, hearing their
stories and using those conversations to guide how we understand and improve care,” said Zinger, who has contributed to NASCENT’s work across eight hospitals, helping reshape care practices province-wide.

RDP said NASCENT’s findings underscore the impact of applied research on strengthening Alberta’s health-care pathways and improving outcomes for families.

The NASCENT team is now focused on helping to expand its model across Alberta, using the
study’s findings and listening-first engagement sessions to support practical improvements in mother-baby care. The team is also preparing publications to share lessons learned.

RDP said this applied research project is one of numerous initiatives currently being advanced by RDP’s students and employees to enhance Alberta’s healthcare sector, exemplifying RDP’s impact through education, training and applied research as the province recognizes Life Sciences Week from Sept. 21 to 25.

The post-secondary institution said it’s growing applied research ecosystem, spanning healthcare and health technology, social innovation, manufacturing and advanced manufacturing, and energy innovation, creates opportunities for students, faculty and staff, including research assistants like Zinger, to contribute to projects with real-world impact, and reflects RDP’s commitment to advancing multi-disciplinary solutions that improve lives across the province.

For more information about research and innovation at RDP visit: rdpolytech.ca/innovation.