LAC LA BICHE – the William J. Cadzow Healthcare Centre in Lac La Biche is one of 20 rural healthcare facilities that will be assessed through the provincial Rural Hospital Enhancement Program.
According to information from the Alberta government, these healthcare centres will be evaluated to determine which capital planning solutions and services are needed to maximize the potential of each facility and better meet the needs of the rural communities they serve.
On March 31, the province announced the new Rural Hospital Enhancement Program as part of the 2025 budget. This program is designed to improve rural health care facilities and address challenges.
If passed, budget 2025 will provide $15 million to support project planning. This includes conducting assessments of rural hospitals.
The first phase of planning under the Rural Hospital Enhancement Program involves evaluating the 20 facilities across Alberta.
In addition to the William J. Cadzow Healthcare Centre, other rural hospitals on the list include the Athabasca Healthcare Centre, Slave Lake Healthcare Centre, St. Joseph’s General Hospital in Vegreville, and Central Peace Health Complex in Spirit River, among others.
When project plans for each facility have been developed, they will then be used for future capital planning discussions and funding decisions for new projects.
“This program will expedite the time between planning and construction, so projects are completed sooner to support rural communities,” according to the Government of Alberta.
According to Maddison McKee, a spokesperson for the Alberta Ministry of Health, the Rural Hospital Enhancement Program funds a comprehensive evaluation of older facilities to determine what infrastructure upgrades are needed to meet the needs of the population they serve, with other facilities in the area.
“The planning process will look at all core clinical areas such as Emergency, Operating Rooms, and Diagnostic Imaging, to see what improvements can be made within the existing facility and if larger changes are needed,” McKee told Lakeland This Week.
While McKee didn’t provide a timeline as to when an evaluation would be conducted on the William J. Cadzow Healthcare Centre, she did say that various factors will be taken into consideration.
“The facility and functional assessment of the William J. Cadzow hospital will consider and build on acute care planning work that has been completed to date, to develop a project plan that will be used to inform future capital planning discussions and funding decisions,” said McKee.
Lac La Biche County Coun. Charlyn Moore praised the Rural Hospital Revitalization program, saying rural hospitals should be supported to the point where people can have minor surgeries in their home community, and babies can be born locally without mothers having to travel to city hospitals weeks before they give birth.
“Those are important things,” Moore told Lakeland This Week. “We’ve got rural residents that really don’t want to go to large cities for their procedures. We’ve got rural residents that really don’t need to plug up big city hospitals when they can be here in their home community . . . So, I think it’s really important that rural health care is looked after.”
Lac La Biche County Coun. Jason Stedman said the William J. Cadzow Healthcare Centre is vital to have in the local community. When people are not feeling right, or in a crisis, they need a strong, robust healthcare system around them, which includes a hospital, he said.
“It is absolutely crucial part of everyday life . . . without health, really, we don’t have anything . . . and it’s unfortunately something that . . . we take for granted until it comes,” said Stedman.
Adriana LaGrange, Alberta’s minister of health, said the new Rural Hospital Enhancement Program will ensure the government is continuing to make data-driven decisions, and resources are appropriately deployed to address the areas with the greatest need.
“Rural Albertans should be able to access the health care services they need close to home,” LaGrange stated.
Minister of Infrastructure Martin Long said the investment in rural communities across Alberta will enhance care and strengthen communities.
“As an MLA from rural Alberta, I know first-hand how important it is to have access to high-quality health care facilities close to home,” Long said. “I cannot wait to get to work on these critical projects.”
