Lacombe will be soon be home to a new Community Health Centre.
The new facility, which will house all of the current Lacombe health services under one roof, was announced during a ground-breaking ceremony at 4580 46th St., just off of HWY 2A.
“It is very exciting,” Kimberley Sommerville, Alberta Health Services area manager for Lacombe and Bentley said. “We are bringing together all of the different services that function within the community, so homecare, public health and mental health services will all be housed in one building instead of two separate ones within Lacombe.”
Currently, AHS health care services are spread between two facilities. The new 17,000 sq. foot building promises to bring those services together more efficiently.
“We will have more treatment space for homecare clients and public health,” Sommerville said. “It will bring all of those services together so they can collaborate more readily for patient care.”
The new facility will allow AHS services to grow alongside Lacombe and its surrounding areas.
“These will be the same services being provided by the community centres right now,” Sommerville said. “With homecare, they have people coming in for treatments like infusions; for public health, it could be things like immunizations — the same services already being provided, but with the opportunity for growth of those services as the community grows.”
It is unclear at this time whether the new facility, which will open in 12 to 18 months, will create more AHS staffing opportunities.
“That is yet to be determined. It will depend on the needs of the community as we move forward,” Sommerville said.
The Health Centre is the culmination of years of planning and AHS groups in Lacombe are already beginning to plan out how they will use the new space.
“We are meeting now to discuss office spaces we need, meeting spaces we need, telehealth services — that type of thing,” Sommerville said.
Grant Creasey, Mayor of Lacombe said the City welcomes the new facility.
“It is an important step towards better community-based care for Lacombe and area residents,” Creasey said. “The new community health centre will provide citizens, especially young families and seniors, with greater access to the medical care and supports they need.”
The City of Lacombe intends to repurpose the space in the provincial building where AHS services are currently located.
Kerry Bales, Chief Zone Officer for AHS Central Zone, said the facility is way to enhance health in the community.
“We will continue to keep the community up-to-date as this project progresses, and will work closely with our clients to ensure a smooth transition to the new facility once it is open to minimize any disruption to their care,” she said.
