More than $241,000 invested in local health care

Upgrades and repairs improve service at Galahad Care Centre

GALAHAD — More than $241,000 in repairs and upgrades have been completed in the last year at the Galahad Care Centre to improve services at the local Alberta Health Services (AHS) facility.

Among the improvements:

• More than $118,000 was spent on a new nurse call system which enables patients to alert a nurse or other health care staff members if they need assistance.
• About $123,000 was spent on upgrades to building control systems that monitor most ventilation, heating and cooling. The upgrades allow systems to run more efficiently, reduce energy consumption and improve control of room temperatures.

The new building control upgrades are expected to save the centre close to a $37,000 a year on utility costs, reduce electrical consumption by 19 per cent and natural gas consumption by 42 per cent.

“These investments not only increase safety and ensure patients and staff have comfortable temperatures, but the building control upgrades also reduce costs and help the environment by reducing energy consumption,” says Kerry Bales, Chief Zone Officer of AHS Central Zone.

Funding for these projects came from the Government of Alberta’s Infrastructure Maintenance Program (IMP).

“No matter where you live in the province, it’s important that your health care needs can be met as close to home as possible,” says Sarah Hoffman, Minister of Health. “These projects help make that a reality, and are part of our commitment to manage and improve health infrastructure and capital across Alberta.”

AHS, in partnership with Alberta Infrastructure and Alberta Health, is building and renewing facilities across the province to provide accessible, sustainable, quality health care to all Albertans. AHS currently has about 270 maintenance projects underway throughout the province.

AHS submits to Alberta Health and Alberta Infrastructure an annual list of IMP priority renovation, repair or upgrade projects for the next three years to ensure the projects meet program criteria. Projects are ranked in priority from those that must be done immediately to ensure safety and health of patients and staff, to non-urgent projects that need to be addressed over time.

Taking into account the diverse needs of Albertans, AHS is strategically investing in the health system to support patients and communities to stay healthy and manage illness effectively.

AHS maintains over 450 facilities throughout the province, including hospitals, clinics, continuing care facilities, mental health facilities and community health sites.

Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.

• News release

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