Two vacant, derelict nursing homes in Red Deer will be demolished.
Alberta Health Services has announced plans for the former Red Deer Nursing Home near Bower Place Shopping Centre and the Valley Park Manor Nursing Home in Riverside Meadows.
Work is now underway to prepare for the demolition early next year of the vacated Red Deer Nursing Home, AHS said in a statement.
Work to remove hazardous materials from the facility began late last month, and will continue over the next several months.
Dates for the demolition and site restoration will be shared with the community once they are determined.
Following the demolition and site restoration, AHS will transfer the property to the Alberta government’s Ministry of Seniors and Housing, which intends to build a 65-unit lodge facility on the land. Details on the new facility are still being finalized.
AHS placed the vacant Valley Park Manor site on the real estate market earlier in the year, with hopes of finding a private buyer.
“Alberta Health Services wants to thank the community for its patience as we explored all possible options on what to do with these properties moving forward,” says Kerry Bales, chief zone officer for AHS’s central zone. “We believe we found the best solutions.”
When Red Deer’s 280-bed Michener Hill Village opened in 2010, the Red Deer Nursing Home and Valley Park Manor both closed after their residents moved into the new facility.
“Facility studies have concluded the buildings are no longer appropriate environments for providing the best possible care,” said Bales. “It would be too costly to renovate the buildings given significant upgrades required to meet today’s care standards.”
AHS will continue to work with its partners, including the government of Alberta, to open new continuing care spaces to serve area seniors, the agency said in a statement.
Since 2014, more than 330 continuing care spaces have opened at Covenant Care’s Villa Marie, Christenson Communities Timberstone Mews and Points West Living facilities in Red Deer.
More than 125 spaces are expected to open at The Hamlets at Red Deer facility early next year.
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