The province promised $3.7 billion in funding to bolster continuing care and long-term care facilities after they were ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving seniors and employees in dire straits.
That's more than a six per cent increase over last year. Within the $3.7 billion announced March 3, $1.7 billion is set for community care, $1.2 billion for continuing care and $750 million for home care.
Thursday's announcement also included $204 million in capital funding over three years to modernize existing facilities in the province and develop new spaces for Indigenous peoples in priority communities.
"These are big and important investments, a big part of our strategy to increase capacity — a key learning from the COVID-era — so that frankly, we can provide better care for seniors in their communities but also open up more capacity in our hospitals and help them to run more efficiently too," said Alberta Premier Jason Kenney.
"It's a win-win."
The Bridgeland-Riverside Continuing Care Centre in Calgary, the site of the announcement, will receive $91 million over three years to aid in completion.
After its completed in late 2023 or early 2024, the centre will provide accomodation to approximately 200 residents while delivering day programs and services for Calgary-area seniors.
Edmonton will see a $142-million boost over two years for additions to the Gene Zwozdesky Centre, which will see an increase of 145 spaces and renovations to 205, expected to be completed later this year. In total, the facility will provide accommodations for 350 continuing care patients with complex needs.
More than 1,500 new continuing care spaces will open across Alberta over the next calendar year, though details of the locations of those facilities have yet to be released.
Both Kenney and Health Minister Jason Copping highlighted not only the importance of providing optimal care for seniors, but also creating capacity in hospitals.
By making more long-term and continuing-care spaces available, the number of open hospital beds will increase, Kenney said.
"One of the long-term problems we've experienced in Alberta's health-care system, is a lot of seniors who are in acute care beds in our hospitals, who could be getting better and more appropriate care in different settings, like home care and nursing homes," he said.
"Every day, every night that they're in an acute-care bed in a hospital [costs us more as taxpayers], but it also limits the number of available beds which is one of the challenges we and other provinces faced throughout COVID when we reached some of those peaks that were challenging hospital capacity."
Making changes to the continuing-care system has been identified by the province as a post-pandemic priority following a facility review completed in last spring.
Legislation aimed at streamlining the system is expected in the coming months.
"Budget 2022 is a milestone for our health system," Copping said.
