Local health care advocates are joining together to form a Red Deer chapter of Friends of Medicare.
It will all start with a public meeting on Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. at Snell Auditorium at Red Deer Public Library.
Brenda Corney, Central Alberta representative on Alberta’s Friends of Medicare board, said now is the perfect time.
“With the government talking about having a new Alberta Health Care Act and asking for public input, this is the best time to give that when there’s the appearance that they are listening,” Corney said.
“This is a good time to talk about medicare and what’s important about it, what expectations are and needs are and how we want to protect it.”
On Thursday, the province released a report with recommendations on developing an Alberta Health Act after gathering public input from around the province.
With the closure of two public nursing homes in Red Deer, a top concern for people who attended a Red Deer workshop on the act earlier this year was preserving a publicly administered and publicly funded health-care system. The report should have included more about that, she said.
Friends of Medicare executive director David Eggen will be the guest speaker at the Sept. 30 meeting at the library.
A free-will donation will be accepted at the door to cover the cost of the meeting, located at 4818 49th St.
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com