Ground breaks on Vulcan hospital expansion

Construction to begin this summer at Vulcan Community Health Centre

VULCAN — Alberta Health Services (AHS) and the Vulcan County Health and Wellness Foundation broke ground on a multi-million dollar expansion at Vulcan Community Health Centre today.

This 1,300 square metre expansion will help achieve the vision of creating a community wellness hub, where people can connect to programs, services, health information and other supports in the community. A new medical clinic will provide space for eight physicians, doubling current capacity and new physiotherapy and rehab space and Adult Day Support program space will provide better access to these services.

“AHS is incredibly grateful for the commitment of the Vulcan County Health and Wellness Foundation to build the expansion at Vulcan Community Health Centre,” says Brenda Huband, Vice-President and Chief Health Operations Officer. “I also want to thank local donors for their dedication and commitment to raising funds for this project. We’re proud to partner with you to support greater healthcare delivery in your community.”

Construction on the expansion will begin this summer, and is expected to take approximately 18 months to build and fully commission.

“This facility and the groundbreaking celebration is great news for Vulcan and area residents,” says Scott Mitchell, Chair, Vulcan County Health and Wellness Foundation. “This project brings an innovative health care footprint to a rural area that embraces the need for certainty and access to the best healthcare possible.”

The Vulcan County Health and Wellness Foundation has raised funds to enhance healthcare in the community through their annual Fall Gala and other community wellness events. Through small and large donations alike, the Foundation has raised nearly $1.5 million since 2011.

Foundations make a significant impact on the quality of patient care by funding enhancements including equipment, infrastructure, programs, education and research in their communities.

About 3,000 emergency department visits and 250 admissions are made to the Vulcan Community Health Centre every year. Over 110 staff at the facility provide health services for approximately 7,000 people living in the County of Vulcan and surrounding area.

The site provides an emergency department, acute care, long term care, public health, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, Adult Day Support, addictions and mental

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.

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