Will the NDP government give hope to Whitecourt’s Healthcare Centre?

By Laura Bohnert

On May 25, 2015, Whitecourt Mayor Maryann Chichak sent a letter to newly-elected premier Rachel Notley requesting Whitecourt’s Healthcare Centre be made a priority in the upcoming fall budget.

The current Healthcare Centre was built in the 1960s for a population of less than 2,500. Whitecourt now represents a community of 11,000 people, and the Whitecourt Healthcare Centre currently services an area of between 30,000 and 40,000 people.

Not only is the centre not big enough for its current population demands, but it also possesses an outdated and collapsing infrastructure. According to Chichak, the two needs-assessments that have been performed (one in 2008 and another in 2014) have both shown that the only solution for the community is to build a new Healthcare Centre: “The infrastructure is so old that it is no longer possible to attempt to upgrade or renovate the centre — we can’t even get parts for the system anymore,” Chichak explains.

“Increasing services has also been difficult with an outdated facility,” says Chichak. “We need a facility that can attract different types of medical professionals so it can support our community as it continues to grow.”

“A new healthcare centre would bring Whitecourt into the modern age, allowing the Whitecourt Healthcare Centre to expand, bring different levels of medicals services, and different procedures to our facility.”

“The biggest thing,” stressed Chichak, “is the influence an up-to-date facility would have on wait times. By being able to offer more services here, we could reduce wait times in Edmonton when it comes to medical procedures that could be looked after within our area.”

“The province has to look at ways to take the pressure off Edmonton,” Chichak explains. “We are a hub in our area. We are the biggest and fastest-growing community between Edmonton and Grand Prairie. Our growth patterns have to be planned for, and that starts with allowing Whitecourt to establish a healthcare centre that is adequate for its growing needs.”

Despite promises that have been made to Whitecourt since 1993, no efforts have been put towards the facility. Chichak is hoping the new NDP government will start taking the necessary steps to fulfill the promises that were neglected by the previous government.

“It is important to Whitecourt that the NDP government recognizes the needs of our community,” states Chichak. “It is important to us to see that they are taking our requests seriously — that they are taking our needs to heart — and that they are able to follow through on commitments that were made to us 22 years ago by a previous government.”

Mayor Chichak is hoping to be able to meet with the Health Minister and the Infrastructure Minister over the next couple of months to discuss Whitecourt’s needs and move projects forward. “I am hoping to see some funds allocated in the fall budget,” continues Chichak. “I would like to see our community included in the three-year capital plan, and I hope to see things breaking ground in the next 18 months.”