The Alberta government is committing $100 million to begin expansion of the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre. This capital funding is in addition to the $20.6 billion annual budget for health services.
“For years, residents of central Alberta and Red Deer have been calling for their hospital to be expanded,” said Premier Jason Kenney. “I’m proud to announce funding will be made available as part of Budget 2020 for the first phase of the Red Deer hospital expansion.”
The Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre is the busiest hospital outside Edmonton and Calgary and has operated beyond its design capacity for many years.
The funding will expedite work to finalize the project scope, construction schedule, operating budget, and expansion of health care services at the facility.
“The Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre is one of the busiest hospitals in Alberta and is the primary health-service provider for our citizens, the regional population, and every Albertan travelling along the central QEII corridor,” said Tara Veer, Mayor of Red Deer. “Today’s announcement by the Government of Alberta responds to this longstanding infrastructure need of our community. The lives, health and well-being of our loved ones matter most of all, and this vital investment and expansion will help ensure access to care and improved health outcomes that the people of Red Deer and central Alberta critically need.”
The Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre provides a full spectrum of acute care, including advanced surgery, internal medicine and diagnostics, as well as obstetrics, pediatrics, oncology, critical care and emergency care. Approximately 50 per cent of patients seen at the hospital are referred from outside Red Deer.
The population of the Red Deer area is expected to increase by 24 per cent to 358,000 by 2035.
