By Shaun Penner

maskwa medical centre

City, County of Grande helping fund business case development for proposed medical facility

Apr 1, 2021 | 6:50 PM

City and County of Grande Prairie councils have each approved funding to help develop a business case for a new proposed medical centre here in the Grande Prairie area.

On Wednesday city council approved giving $50,000 to the team looking at developing the Maskwa Medical Centre, while the County approved granting $25,000 to develop the business case and cost-benefit analysis.

Mayor Jackie Clayton explained that the proposal brought before council on March 22 showed the clinic would operate as a patient-centred diagnostic facility.

“It’s based similarly around the Mayo Clinic model, and when they provided background information, council was very excited,” said Clayton. “We’re very much looking forward to receiving the business case back and (we’re) optimistic this will just provide for an enhancement to the quality of life for residents in the region with the proposed facility.”

Clayton adds that the proposed clinic would not be one to offer ongoing patient care but would be one that offer a collaboration of specialists to provide quick diagnostic services, and work in tandem with patients and their physicians.

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“It will be an opportunity where people can go in early on in their assessment needs, prior to going to a traditional hospital facility.”

With the potential economic impact and enhancement of quality of life for residents in the region from the proposed facility, the funds from both municipalities will come from their Economic Development department’s operating budgets.

For County Reeve Leanne Beaupre, the proposal was an easy one for her and council to get behind.

“I think this is a once in a lifetime, maybe a once in a decade opportunity for this region to have a clinic of that magnitude, that has the resources available to them that would work complimentary to our healthcare system,” said Beaupre. “It’s really a win-win situation for all of the people in the region.”

The team with the Maskwa Medical Centre will now be presenting the business case to the province, at the request of Grande Prairie-Wapiti MLA Travis Toews.

Should the clinic get approval, it would fall under Alberta Health Services and would be a provincially funded clinic.