Premier announces new hospital in Grande Prairie

A new 200-bed acute care facility will be built in Grande Prairie, Premier Ed Stelmach announced at a media event in the community this morning.

The new facility will focus on acute and specialized care – including cancer care, and provide residents from throughout northern Alberta access to a broader range of health service in Grande Prairie.

“Our government is moving forward on a new regional hospital for Grande Prairie. We will keep our commitment made to people in the region,” Premier Stelmach told Grande Prairie media.

“We know it has been a long time coming and no one likes to wait, especially for healthcare, but we need to be responsible and we will get much better value for our dollar on projects today,” said Stelmach. 

“This is great news for the residents of northern Alberta. The new facility will support the delivery of care to our residents, keeping them closer to home wherever possible, and the additional beds will allow for our growing population and changing demographics,” said Sean Chilton, AHS Senior Vice-President, Regional Hospitals. 
 
The Grande Prairie Cancer Centre project will be part of the new facility and include two new radiation vaults. The new Cancer Centre will bring more comprehensive cancer care significantly closer to home for hundreds of northern residents who need treatment each year.  Reduced travel times for cancer patients will be a huge benefit for them and their families. The additional capacity is also expected to significantly reduce wait times for cancer treatment.

“We’ve heard from families about the challenges of wait times and travelling for cancer treatment. It’s difficult and costly, and when you are sick and away from your family it’s even more difficult. We’ve committed to bringing cancer care closer to home for Albertans, and we are fulfilling that commitment,” Premier Stelmach said.   

The existing QEII Hospital will continue to be used to provide ambulatory and community health services. The redevelopment provides opportunity to support integrated, accessible and family-centred care. 

The redevelopment plans will help more northern patients receive specialized and complex care, closer to home and with shorter wait times.

The project also includes a workforce training component with Grande Prairie Regional College and the new facility will be built on GPRC land in the area of 107 Street and 106 Avenue. Site and soil testing is expected to begin immediately.

The health workforce training component of the project with GPRC recognizes the importance of building our workforce – and is part of the solution up front. We also have opportunity to begin some detailed workforce planning to ensure we have the right mix of providers in readiness of the new facility.

“We certainly welcome the partnership with GPRC. It provides us with a significant opportunity to educate and train professional health staff of the future locally,” said Dr. Joan Libsekal, Vice-President, QEII Hospital.

“As well, the opportunities a new facility provides for incorporating advanced technology and leading edge practice is a huge attraction for physicians and staff, which will also help us build our workforce,” said Libsekal.     

Construction is targeted to start in 2011, and some parts of the facility could be ready to deliver services in 2014.

Premier Stelmach announced that the province has set aside $520 million for the total cost of the project.