The first building in a larger new wellness community in southeast Edmonton has officially opened its doors.
The Stelmach Community Health Centre, named after former Alberta premier Ed Stelmach and his wife Marie, is the first site in the Covenant Wellness Community, operated by Covenant Health. The new centre will be a hub for a number of different health care services including primary care, outpatient clinics, diagnostic imaging and other services.
Patrick Dumelie, president and CEO of Covenant Health, said the goal for the wellness community is to enhance primary care, while addressing deficits within the community.
“It’s an incredibly exciting day that not only marked the grand opening of this facility, this is a really incredible innovation of how we’re going to care for people into the future, but also represents a day of honouring the Stelmach family,” Dumelie said at the health centre’s grand opening on Tuesday.
Stelmach, who served as premier from 2006 to 2011, said he was deeply humbled to have the centre named after him. He said his relationship with the sister servants of Mary Immaculate who cared for him as a child in the hospital had a lasting impression on him.
“It taught me that health care is ultimately about people,” Stelmach said.
“It’s about compassion, dignity and seeing each person as a whole.”
The health centre is also home to services such as the cardiac rehabilitation clinic which was relocated from the Grey Nuns Community Hospital. Dumelie said relocating some services out of the hospital and integrating them in the community makes it more accessible.
He added relocating some services also takes the pressure off hospital infrastructure and has allowed the hospital to expand its emergency department.
“It’s really been a real tremendous improvement for the staff, but also for the patients to have the proper space and the proper environment to give care. Huge efficiencies were gained by moving it over to a purposefully designed space here at the centre,” Dumelie said.
Assisted Living and Social Services Minister Nathan Neudorf called the facility innovative. He said with the centre now being a hub for many services, it means more timely care for Albertans.
“Southeast Edmonton is rapidly growing and the unique combination of services under this roof will serve residents well today and for years to come,” Neudorf said.
Covenant Health is planning to add more buildings to the campus, including an integrated senior’s continuing care centre, residential housing and commercial retail spaces.
Dumelie said there is currently no timeline for phase two, saying it has not been approved yet, however, it has been submitted to the province.
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