The clinic will go next to the Remedy RX Pharmacy at 9927 97 Street (Photo: Stephanie Hudson)

By Shaun Penner

Wembley Medical Clinic

Wembley welcoming new physician, medical clinic this summer

May 13, 2020 | 5:30 AM

The Town of Wembley will soon have a medical clinic to call its own.

Following the approval of a development permit on Friday afternoon by town administration, construction and renovations are moving forward on the Wembley Medical Clinic, which will operate next to the Remedy RX Pharmacy along 97 Street.

Wembley’s Chief Administrative Officer Noreen Zhang, says after a few months of hard work from all stakeholders involved, they are very pleased to get to this point.

“The Town of Wembley is quite excited to be able to provide this type of service, especially for the residents themselves, so they don’t have to go into town or further away (to see a doctor).”

The clinic will be operated by Dr. Angela Luckham, alongside her husband Alexander, who have been living in the community since October, after the couple moved to the Peace Country from Hay River in the Northwest Territories for Alexander’s job as a Medivac pilot.

Meaningful Mementos

Remembering Someone You've Lost at Christmas

Dec 03, 2024

Seasonal Sorrow

How Do You Get Through The Holidays When You're Grieving?

Nov 01, 2024

Upcoming Events at Oliver's

Grief & Loss and Estate Planning Seminars

Oct 02, 2024

It was that job, according to Dr. Luckham, that ultimately made the couple decide to call Wembley home.

“We needed to live ten minutes from the airport (for Alexander’s job). I had only been to Grande Prairie once when I was passing through to go to Jasper,” recalled Luckham. “So, we looked on a map and Wembley was only 10 minutes-ish from the airport.”

“So, we started looking at properties here, found a house, put an offer on it before we came to see it, and the rest is history.”

Following the move to Wembley, Dr. Luckham began working out of the Pioneer Medical Clinic in Grande Prairie. However, she quickly saw an opportunity to fill a gap in their new community, which was devoid of a medical facility of its own.

Now with the permit to continue to renovate and fit the space to their needs, Dr. Luckham is hoping to have the clinic open by July, but that timeline is not set in stone.

“There is a lot of moving parts and we have a lot of work ahead of us, so we’re saying hopefully mid-summer we will be opening.”

Dr. Luckham says she will begin accepting patients closer to the time that they open, adding that the clinic will not be a walk-in.

She adds that she wants the clinic to be very involved in the community, and has some ideas in mind of how to achieve that.

“We’re hoping to do some after hours clinics… maybe doing some education events or with the seniors centre, schools. Things like that.”

Zhang echoes that sentiment and feels the Town of Wembley has received a couple that really does want to be a part of the community’s future.

“They’re young, they’re very keen on being local and being a part of a small town,” said Zhang. “It’s very exciting to have them here.”

In the meantime, Dr. Luckham says they will be holding a fundraising campaign in the near future to help with some of the costs of furnishing the clinic.

“We are able, right now, to build the empty space to clinic formation, but we’re going to be relying on donations from both the public and businesses sectors.”

Luckham says the Wembley Firefighters Association will help with the campaign, adding that the association has been keen on helping bring the clinic to Wembley.

With that, Dr. Luckham says they are eager and optimistic they will be opening by this summer.

“We enjoy Wembley, it’s a really great community (and) it’s been really welcoming to us. We’re thankful for that.”