A spokesperson for Alberta Health has confirmed work on the Airdrie Community Health Centre Site Optimization Project will restart in early March.
"We anticipate the project will be complete in the summer of 2025. While we are also reviewing the business case from One Health Airdrie to expand health services in the area, we recognize a need to move forward with the planned renovations to the Airdrie Community Health Centre right away," a spokesperson for Alberta Health wrote.
The comment comes one day after Airdrie-East MLA Angela Pitt confirmed to DiscoverAirdrie that the previous pause on the city's community health centre was being lifted.
DiscoverAirdrie spoke to MLA Pitt yesterday, shortly after she had met with the province's Health Minister, Adriana LaGrange. Pitt said she was very happy to share the news that the renovations would resume.
"I've always supported the renovation of the urgent care facility," she said.
When asked what her thoughts were on the previous announcement of the renovations being paused, MLA Pitt said that it came down to looking at whether other options were a better use of taxpayer funds.
"At the end of the day, Airdrie needs a renovation; we need a new urgent care facility, and we need a hospital," she said.
With the provincial budget being announced today, Pitt reiterated she is very hopeful that there will be funding for schools in Airdrie.
"Any funding that comes into our community to deal with our high growth pressures, but I haven't seen the budget. I won't see the budget until it's tabled tomorrow, but I'm hoping there's some good news for us coming up. There are lots of things also potentially happening on top of the renovation here for us. We're working, we're moving, [and] we're trying to address the issues for the people of Airdrie."
On Wednesday afternoon when asked for comment on the most recent development, Michelle Bates, Executive Director of the Airdrie Health Foundation said that she was happy to hear that the renovations were moving forward. She underlined that all efforts must be made to formulate a long-term viable plan to address healthcare needs in Airdrie, including pushing forward with a hospital.
Bates added that a facility that will include chemotherapy therapies, labour and delivery, better care for geriatric patients, as well dialysis, and expanded services regarding mental health, speech, audiology, home care, as well as palliative care, are all part of the bigger picture.
She said that the possibility of a North Calgary/ Airdrie hospital also needs to be clarified, and she hopes that it will be located in Airdrie. MLA Pitt said that there is a hospital study that is currently being worked and and she anticipates its completion will give more clarity to future planning.
Bates also noted that the planned renovations were to change the floor plan of the centre resulting in more Urgent Care beds. Among other things, this included adding another triage, as well as bringing the RAZ [Rapid Assessment Zone] and UC beds closer together, which would increase the size of the waiting room.
Last month's announcement of the pause on the renovations also garnered criticism from Friends of Medicare, a non-profit, non-partisan coalition which advocates universal public healthcare. Previously, Chris Gallaway, Executive Director of the group said he was skeptical of the proposed plan and its lack of transparency.
Before the pause on the renovations, bates said the estimated completion date of the renovations would be completed by the end of 2024.
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