RED DEER,ALTA. – The province of Alberta announced it will commit $100 million to start expanding the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre. The capital funding is on top of the $20.6 billion annual budget for health services, the highest ever in the province and the highest per capita of all provinces.
“Past governments wasted years on half-measures and planning that we are completing now,” said Tyler Shandro, minister of health. “This initial $100-million commitment is our promise to Red Deer that we will get this done right, and as soon as possible.”
The Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre is the busiest hospital outside Edmonton and Calgary and has operated past its original design capacity for many years.
The funding will fast-track work to finalize the project scope, construction schedule, operating budget, and expansion of health care services at the facility.
The Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre provides a full spectrum of acute care, including advanced surgery, internal medicine and diagnostics, as well as obstetrics, pediatrics, oncology, critical care and emergency care.
Approximately 50 per cent of patients seen at the hospital are referred from outside Red Deer and the population of the Red Deer area is expected to increase by 24 per cent to 358,000 by 2035.
“The Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre is one of the busiest hospitals in Alberta and is the primary health-service provider for our citizens, the regional population, and every Albertan travelling along the central QEII corridor,” said Tara Veer, Red Deer mayor. “Today’s announcement by the Government of Alberta responds to this longstanding infrastructure need of our community. The lives, health and well-being of our loved ones matter most of all, and this vital investment and expansion will help ensure access to care and improved health outcomes that the people of Red Deer and central Alberta critically need.”
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed