Province Plans Major Expansion at Sherwood Park Hospital

The Alberta government has announced plans for a major expansion of Sherwood Park's Strathcona Community Hospital, investing $2 million to begin planning for additional inpatient care and surgical services.

 

Matt Jones, Alberta's Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services, announced Monday that the planned expansion would add up to 120 inpatient beds and four surgical suites to the hospital, which opened in 2014. The facility currently provides primary health care, community-based services, a 24-hour emergency department, and on-site diagnostic services.

 

Nate Glubish, MLA for Strathcona-Sherwood Park, expressed support for the expansion during a media conference at the hospital. "It just makes sense to expand it here in Sherwood Park, because we already have a world-class facility that is ideally located to serve the northeast capital region," Glubish said. "We already have the land, and the hospital was originally designed with the intent of expansion."

 

With the addition of four operating rooms, the hospital would perform more than 4,000 surgeries annually. Other planned additions include two endoscopy procedure rooms, specialized ambulatory clinics, expanded diagnostic imaging, pharmacy and laboratory services, a hemodialysis unit, and integrated mental health supports.

 

Jones said a business case for the hospital will be developed over the next year, outlining the scope and costs of the expansion for submission in next year's budget.

 

This announcement represents a significant investment in health care capacity for Sherwood Park and the surrounding northeast Edmonton region.