More than $1.5 million invested in local health care

Upgrades and repairs improve comfort at the Athabasca Healthcare Centre

ATHABASCA — More than $1.5 million in repairs and upgrades have been completed in the last year at the Athabasca Healthcare Centre to improve the building environment at the local Alberta Health Services (AHS) facility.

Among the improvements:

• More than $1 million was spent on a new chiller replacement to cool the facility.
• About $500,000 was spent on the replacement of two heating boilers.

Both these projects help ensure patients and staff have a comfortable building environment.

“These projects help maintain our facilities and ensure our patients stay well,” says Shelly Pusch, Chief Zone Officer of AHS North Zone. “It is also vital we keep our health care infrastructure up to date.”

Funding for these projects came from the Government of Alberta’s Infrastructure Maintenance Program (IMP). In recent years, additional IMP funding has been invested in other projects at the Athabasca Healthcare Centre, including roof replacement and repairs, and a new trauma room.

“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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