By Troy Gillard

“start of a marathon”

Surgeon says $100 million for Red Deer hospital expansion “a good start”

Feb 26, 2020 | 6:15 PM

A local medical professional who’s helped lead local advocacy efforts for Red Deer hospital expansion says Wednesday’s announcement by the provincial government is a good start.

Premier Jason Kenney announced $100 million for the first phase of expansion at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre.

“It’s obviously not everything we need. $100 million is a huge amount of money, but if you’re talking about full, functioning hospital expansion redevelopment, it’s not enough, but it’s an excellent start,” says Dr. Keith Wolstenholme, an orthopedic surgeon and director for the Society for Hospital Expansion in Central Alberta (SHECA).

Wolstenholme is glad that a cardiac catheterization lab will be part of the first phase of hospital expansion.

“I think it’s wonderful, that’s been one of the pieces of the puzzle we’ve really been campaigning on, that will make a difference in the lives of Central Albertans. That’s one of those things that’s going to actually improve life and death outcomes,” he said, adding that he looks forward to seeing what programs and facilities will be developed to help those recovering from cardiac procedures done in Red Deer.

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Wolstenholme thanked central Albertans for being such passionate and vocal advocates for hospital expansion.

“I think their hard work has paid off. It takes a hundred physicians to equal one voice of a concerned patient,” he pointed out.

“We worked hard from a SHECA standpoint, but it’s been the public pressure that’s brought this project to bear. Every person who’s written a letter to the Minister, MLA, and Premier, that’s what’s gotten this done. It’s the patients of Central Alberta who made this happen. It’s the patients who are going to get their results.

But he also cautioned, “This is the start of the marathon. This is not the end of the road, and I would encourage people to keep up the pressure. We don’t want this to sort of stop with phase one. We’re going to need phase two and beyond. I think patients and the public should be happy, but not satisfied.”

The cost to fully expand Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre has been estimated at around $750 million.