By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

WATCH: New urgent care centre in Sylvan Lake ‘everything we wanted’

May 11, 2018 | 8:01 PM

It’s everything they wanted from the outset, says the chair of the Sylvan Lake Urgent Care Committee.

Susan Samson is referring to the brand new Advanced Ambulatory Care Centre which has been in the works for seven years and cost more than $2 million.

It will offer treatment to patients with injuries that are urgent, but non-life-threatening.

“In our community, because of our proximity to Red Deer Regional Hospital where emerg is for life-threatening injuries, what we were looking for was medical treatment available seven days a week with extended hours,” Samson said during a tour of the facility on Friday attended by Health Minister Sarah Hoffman. “We believe the bulk of the cases in the ER are not life-threatening and they should be treated close to home.”

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Hoffman remarked that this will ease the burden at Red Deer Regional.

“It’s not going to necessarily be a quick fix on Red Deer. We have other work to do there as well, but this is definitely a step in the right direction and it’s definitely good news for Sylvan Lake,” she said. 

“We chose to acknowledge the need in central Alberta and in all parts of Alberta and find ways to make life better and invest in healthcare instead of cut dramatically.”

Among many others, Mayor Sean McIntyre was also on hand and heaped praised on the coming together of the community to push this project forward.

“We’ve got local sponsors, people who have raised money, Alberta Health Services, the Alberta Health Ministry and local doctors who have been instrumental in making all this happen,” he said. “All of that work has culminated in where we are today, which is a beautiful facility that will be ready to help our residents and people who are visiting our community in June.”

The Advanced Ambulatory Care Centre expansion of the Sylvan Lake Community Health Centre will welcome its first patients on June 4, a slight delay from the originally planned May 22. A grand opening event is being planned for later in June.