The Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton will receive $3 million over three years from the province for plans to build a stand-alone children’s hospital in the city, the Alberta government announced Thursday.
Currently, the Stollery is a hospital within a hospital: housed within repurposed space at the University of Alberta Hospital building.
Mike House, president and CEO of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, said the new facility would be specially designed for pediatric patients.
“We are excited to continue to work with government toward the goal of building a new Stollery Children’s Hospital that is purpose-built for kids and their families, that puts mental and physical health under one roof, and that is set up to give future generations of Albertans the best chance at a long and healthy life,” said House.
The Stollery takes in patients from all over Western Canada and is the second-largest children’s hospital in Canada by bed count.
The province said around 300,000 patients visit the Stolley each year, with 40 per cent coming from outside of Edmonton.
In a news release, the province said it is fully committed to building the new hospital once planning is complete.
The funding was earmarked within the 2023 provincial budget and is in addition to the $1 million the province provided in 2021 for a feasibility study, which was matched by the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation.
The hospital foundation has been advocating for a stand-alone children’s hospital for some time. In March 2019, the foundation urged provincial election candidates to prioritize children’s health care.
The province said a business plan for the hospital is expected to be completed this summer.
The Stollery was established in 2001 and according to the province, is Western Canada’s referral centre for pediatric cardiac surgery and a national leader in organ transplants.