December 2, 2015
ST. ALBERT — More than $1 million in upgrades have been made in the past year to the Sturgeon Community Hospital.
A new, $300,000 nurse call system enables patients to alert a nurse or other health care staff members if needed. Another $700,000 was spent to upgrade a special ventilation system for the operating rooms. The new system helps to maintain proper pressurization and air exchanges, ensuring patient safety during procedures.
Alberta Health Services (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.
“Projects like these help maintain our facilities and ensure our patients stay well,” says Deb Gordon, Chief Health Operations Officer, Northern Alberta. “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 Sturgeon Community Hospital, including a new boiler and renovations to a receiving driveway.
“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.”
Each year, AHS submits a list of IMP priority renovation, repair or upgrade projects for the next three years to Alberta Health and Alberta Infrastructure 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 more than 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.
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For media inquiries, contact:
Jason Morton
AHS Communications
403-943-1861
Carolyn Ziegler
Assistant Director, Media Relations
Alberta Health
780-415-2496
