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Hospital will be ‘one-stop’ healthcare centre
Chris Clegg
for South Peace News
Plans for the new High Prairie Hospital are being reviewed to fit into Alberta Health and Wellness’s future vision, says one of the members who sits on the local health committee.
Ken Matthews reported to the M.D. of Big Lakes council Sept. 30 the news, which is mostly good from the health committee’s Sept. 25 meeting.
“They will have a report back by mid-November,” says Matthews.
“I felt it was positive,” he adds. “High Prairie will be the first hospital built under the new Alberta healthcare plan. The encouraging thing is there’s going to be a hospital here.”
An important aspect of the plan, says Matthews, is he believes a commitment has been made by Alberta Health and Wellness to make the hospital a “one-stop” shopping centre for health care.
“It will include a pharmacy, dental and doctor’s clinics,” says Matthews. “It seems they’ve bought into this.”
George Keay, another committee member, agrees.
“They said they’d be reviewing the plan, says Keay, “but I think Ken and I are on the same page.”
On the downside, Matthews is not 100 per cent convinced a new wing to replace the existing J.B. Wood Extended Care Unit is in the plans.
“I just don’t know,” say Matthews.
Meanwhile, Keay isn’t sure.
“I don’t know that,” says Keay. “They talked about building it in stages. They talked about it at the previous meeting. It doesn’t make sense not to do it at one time when you have all the equipment and trucks there.
“I think the plan still calls for it,” adds Keay. “I think they’ll go ahead in stages.”
In the original plans, 40 long-term care beds were designed.
The next meeting of the committee is in mid-November.
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