The province of Alberta is investing significant capital into the provincial health care system.
As part of Budget 2025, Albert is directing $10 million over the next two years to increase hospital capacity across the province.
The funding is going to be used to assess health care facilities across the province for "shelled and vacant spaces."
Typically, when a health care facility is designed, there are unfinished or unused spaces in it to allow for future growth of the facility.
"Developing spaces that aren’t finished or are vacant is a faster and more affordable way to expand health care infrastructure," said Health Minister Adriana LaGrange, via a media release. "I am looking forward to identifying these development opportunities so we can increase capacity for Albertans as soon as possible.”
The release notes that developing these unused spaces is a "cost-effective way" to quickly expand health care, improve access to services and reduce wait times province-wide.
Areas being considered for this development include the Peter Lougheed Centre and Tom Baker Centre in Calgary, the Mazankowski Heart Institute and Kaye Clinic in Edmonton and the Queen Elizabeth II Ambulatory Care Centre in Grande Prairie.
"The funding in the Capital Plan will be used to expedite development of these spaces, including comprehensive project costing and detailed planning before construction begins," notes the release. "By completing this groundwork upfront, the government will be able to make well-informed decisions during the approval process for future budgets."
The release notes that Alberta Infrastructure will lead the two-year planning process under the direction of Alberta Health.
"This initiative to identify construction and renovation opportunities for underutilized spaces in hospitals will help our government improve health care capacity and better serve the needs of Albertans," said Martin Long, Minister of Infrastructure.
Once the two years of initial planning is completed, additional funding will be allocated for construction.
This $10 million is part of an even bigger plan to improve health care in Alberta.
Budget 2025 also allocates $265 million to increase operating room capacity, $11 million to further plans for a stand-alone Stollery Children's Hospital, and $2 million to add inpatient towers at both the Grey Nuns and Misericordia Hospitals, which will add around 700 beds, and around $557 million over the next three years to re-develop and expand the Red Deer Regional Hospital.
These initiatives build on a recently finished $84 million expansion at the Rockyview General Hospital, which has increased intensive care, coronary care and endoscopy units by around 50 per cent, and the opening of the Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Calgary.
