Photo Courtesy EverythingGP Staff

By Erika Rolling

Health

Grande Prairie to get upgrades and renovations in hospital pharmacies through provincial funding

Apr 6, 2023 | 11:05 AM

$54 million dollars over the next three years is being allocated towards the renovation and upgrading of 33 pharmacies at 20 sites in eleven communities across Alberta by the provincial government.

Pharmacies in hospitals, cancer centres, and other facilities are to be upgraded to improve the safety of patients and their staff, by reducing the risk of contamination when medications are compounded to have the environments safe, and sterile.

“The Alberta government is committed to making sure all patients and staff interacting with hospital pharmacies feel safe. The enhanced standards better protect patients, and these renovations and facility upgrades will help our hospitals and health care centres, which are so important to helping Albertans in their time of greatest need, meet the highest standards for safety and quality.” –Jason Copping, Minister of Health

In Grande Prairie, the main building of the QEII Hospital and Grande Prairie Cancer Centre (in the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital) will be getting upgrades to their pharmacies, according to the provincial government Health Press Secretary Scott Johnson.

Other communities getting renovations and upgrades are Bonnyville, Calgary, Camrose, Canmore, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, and St. Albert.

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The upgrades and renovations will provide additional safety features so pharmacies can comply with new and enhanced national standards for compounding medications, as well as Accreditation Canada standards. All provinces have or are in the process of adopting these new standards.

Changes in infrastructure include:

• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades such as air handlers, heat exchangers, and exhaust fans that allow for minimum filtration requirements and maintain a minimum number of air exchanges per area
• Particle contamination control through appropriate cleanroom materials
• Publicly-accessible areas and cleanroom separation to minimize contamination
• Rooms that can accommodate equipment and exhaust systems to filter the air (for hazardous compounding).