Alberta men in need of urological services now have access to all the services and treatment they need under one roof.
The Northern Alberta Urology Centre and C.J. Woods Prostate Health Clinic celebrated its grand opening at Edmonton’s Kaye Clinic on Wednesday morning.
The clinic offers a wide range of medical treatment, information and support for men across Alberta. It’s expected about 55,000 people from central and northern Alberta will take advantage of the services, which include treatment for prostate disease and cancer.
“This facility will make life better for patients at this clinic by providing co-ordinated access to a multidisciplinary team of health-care providers, reducing wait and travel times for patients and their families,” Health Minister Sarah Hoffman said in statement.
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Before the clinic opened, men seeking urological treatment were forced to visit several different clinics in locations across the city.
“This actually brings all the treatment together. So it’s kind of a one-stop shop where everyone can get the full treatment and care,” said Dr. Verna Yiu, president and CEO of Alberta Health Services.
“It’s truly a game changer for patients with urological disorders and men facing prostate disease, including cancer.”
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The $40-million clinic is the product of a collaboration between the University Hospital Foundation, Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation and the Cross Cancer Institute.
Nearly a decade ago, all three organizations were working separately in hopes of creating a facility like this. Irv Kipnes with the University Hospital Foundation said it quickly became evident they would need to work together if they were going to be successful.
“We were bumping into the same people to try to get gifts and they had been approached by the other campaigns and it took a sit down for us all to say, ‘Hey, we better work together or we’re not going to get this done.’
“From that point on it really accelerated and went on beautifully.”
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Kipnes knows the struggles of seeking out treatment. Eighteen years ago he was diagnosed with prostate cancer and found it difficult to find the information and services he needed.
“I really realized that we were wanting and needed to do things better,” he said.
He calls the new clinic a magnificent place for men to come for the services they need.
“I think it’ll accelerate their knowledge and their treatment by, I’m going to call it one-stop shopping. Where before, you really had to go search for the information that wasn’t really available,” he said.
“The way the clinic is set up, it’s incredible. It’s very, very full service.”
Alberta Infrastructure contributed $30 million to the project. The remaining $10 million was raised by the University Hospital Foundation and the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation.