Announced as part of Budget 2023, the UCP is spending $11.2 million over three years to expand the Chinook Regional Hospital’s (CRH) renal dialysis program.
Schematic design will begin this fall, with the finished expansion providing 28 hemodialysis stations and two airborne isolation rooms.
The expansion also permits night-time dialysis at the hospital.
“The patient population requiring different levels of kidney care continues to grow, where patient numbers have increased by 20 per cent in the south zone as compared to five years ago,” said Jennifer Crysdale, Alberta Health Services Alberta Kidney Care South’s executive director.
Meanwhile, construction is starting on renovations to increase surgical capacity through the Alberta Surgical Initiative Capital Program.
Currently, CRH has nine operating rooms performing about 140 surgeries a week.
After renovations, two of the rooms will have more space and five new inpatient surgical rooms will be added.
According to Alberta Health Services, the hospital will be able to perform 780 more procedures annually.
“These are improvements coming here to Chinook Regional Hospital and I know while there is still a lot of work to be done, it’s exciting news for us all,” Lethbridge-East MLA Nathan Neudorf said.
As of March 27, data from the province shows more than 32,000 Albertans are waiting for surgery outside the clinically recommended time.
AHS believes the changes will cut into that number and it will be able to find doctors to staff the additional spaces.
“We are confident with the Alberta government workforce strategy, as well as AHS’ workforce strategy, we will build and grow the required workforce for the future,” said Linda Iwasiw, AHS chief zone officer.
The surgical spaces are expected to be finished in the fall of 2024. It’s anticipated the renal dialysis expansion construction will begin the following year.