Photo Courtesy EverythingGP Staff

By Tanner Smith

Community

AHS hosted a community celebration at the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital

Aug 28, 2022 | 11:17 AM

Alberta Health Services hosted its community celebration on Saturday, August 27, to recognize the staff, community, and the partners that made all of this possible.

Tours, demonstrations, and even access to the STARS helicopter were all offered Saturday, with AHS trying to pull back the curtain on healthcare to make patients feel more comfortable.

Candace Edey, AHS Senior Operating Officer for the Grande Prairie area says when most patients come to the hospital it can be an uncomfortable scary experience and she hopes with this celebration, the hospital will become more friendly to residents.

“Very much excited for people to come and see the grounds, lots of support from the foundation to be able to have a free barbecue for people, really good displays from some of the departments, so people can come and see what the departments do, STARS is here for as long as they can be and people have the ability to go and see the helicopter and get the tours of the grounds and see the inside as well.”

Edey says even with the health care staffing shortages plaguing northern Alberta and all over the province, residents should take some comfort in having a facility like the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital that has the ability to support everyone in the area with a wide range of healthcare options.

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“Some of those enhancements that we didn’t have before were really important, I think a big enhancement was the Cancer Centre and having radiation therapy, the pandemic is tricky and comes with challenges as well, but we have some really improved capacity, we mentioned the healing gardens and the courtyards, one of the things that is really special to me is we have some indigenous symbols, we have the Inukshuk, the Red River Cart and the Tee Pee.”

She added, that residents will also have to worry less about having to leave the Peace Region and going further south for the care they need.

“As much as possible were trying to keep as many services as we can, (in the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital) Stollery is a good connection and we have a really good coordination with the physicians that are there and to be able to offer some of the programs, even that connection for the staff to be able to reach out and get some consultation and stuff when needed.”

Edey says AHS is aware of how important this hospital is to this area, and northern Alberta in general, and wanted it to be able to serve everyone comfortably and be almost a ‘one-stop-shop’ for all your medical needs.

The facility has already delivered 1,050 babies and served 34,000 patients despite only opening its doors to patients in December of 2021.

Photo Courtesy EverythingGP Staff

Photo Courtesy EverythingGP Staff