The first stage of preparations for Red Deer hospital’s $100-million expansion project should be complete this fall.
A statement from Alberta Health said the business case for the project is expected to be completed this fall and includes a complete review of all components of the hospital and how best to redevelop the facility.
“So far in the business case, the focus has been on the concept of an expanded campus of care at RDRHC, looking at which services could be located off site. We have also looked at which services make sense to locate outside of a hospital setting to keep people closer to home and in their community,” said Alberta Health.
Other decisions included in the business case include how many operating rooms will be needed and where they will be located in the hospital, how many inpatient hospital beds are required and which programs or departments they will be assigned to, and details about other acute care programs.
“We are also determining where to best locate a cardiac cath lab and an expanded medical device reprocessing department.”
Related:
Interior work will start this year on Red Deer hospital project, says infrastructure minister
The business case is the first stage of the project that focuses on the conception and initiation of the project. Stage two is planning and design. Stage 3 is construction and renovation.
Alberta Health said the project will move forward to the next phase once the business case is complete. AHS has been engaging members of the public and plan to do so in all concept and planning stages.
Related:
A 2020 infrastructure report found Red Deer hospital was not meeting AHS performance targets for emergency room wait times, length of stay, and had longer waits for surgery.
Four years ago, several doctors went public with service and infrastructure shortcomings impacting patient care at the hospital, and specifically identified the need for cardiac catheterization services. The community and region rallied to support the doctors and called on the province to expand the hospital.
szielinski@reddeeradvocate.com
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