Manon Therriault, Chief Executive Officer at Red Deer Regional Health Foundation shared information and updates regarding the hospital expansion. The Foundation's mandate is to provide support for health care in Central Alberta and to ensure that the best tools, services, and programs are available for family, friends, and the community. Funds raised provide equipment that is meet needs that are beyond the government's mandate to provide basic care.   

 

Changes to the Red Deer Regional Hospital include a 8 floor ambulatory clinic that should be ready for occupancy in 2029.  A new 6 floor patient tower that will act as a clinical services facility will also be built and will hopefully meet the regions growing needs by the time it is completed. Many departments will be shifting their location during the building phases.   The expansion will add 200 more beds to the 375 beds currently available.  When completed, the hospital will require 2000 additional staff members beyond the current 3600 staff. 

Due to extensive lobbying, an interim cardiac catheterization lab at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre (RDRHC)  will be built to provide cardiac care to patients sooner than the original date. The lab will be located in a converted physicians lounge and will be close to the emergency department and operating rooms. It will hopefully be functioning by April 2027. A major fundraising will begin shortly to begin raising money for the project that has a price tag of $18 million. The Red Deer Regional Health Foundation is providing financial support for the essential architectural, mechanical, and electrical upgrades.  

Currently, Red Deer has the distinction of being the the busiest hospital in Alberta, serving an extensive area stretching from border to border.  The hospital is one of 17 in our zone.  Manon shared that the zone is currently at 100% surgical capacity, making very efficient use of available resources but resulting in longer than ideal wait times.  Space is at a premium in Red Deer and the meeting room  we were in will be converted to a patient space within the next day or two.  

Manon also advised the meeting that talks are in progress regarding changes that will permit the Red Deer Hospital to become a medical school in the near future once housing, teaching spaces, and other criteria are met.

We thank Manon for her informative updates and the Foundation for their support of health care for Central Albertans.