Multiple times a day since moving to Didsbury, I’ve walked my dogs past the vacant portions of the hospital, often thinking it’s such a waste for them to sit empty, especially when they appear to be in good condition.
Could they not be better utilized than as sets and storage for movie and TV productions?
The recent Ernst & Young report on Alberta Health Services (AHS) has opened the door for the community serviced by the Didsbury hospital to provide ideas on the revitalization of the vacant units 3 and 4.
Independent reports completed in 2013 (reissued in 2018), place the value of these two buildings at $27 million (in 2013 dollars).
The reports suggest $3.3 million of upgrades are required, mostly related to replacing furnaces and hot water tanks, fluorescent lighting, and windows and doors in Unit 4.
They further indicate there is no evidence of asbestos, mould, or other hazardous materials.
The opportunity is there for us to seize. It will only be achievable if it is a grassroots community-based initiative.
We need to have conversations, lots of conversations, in order to come up with three to five revitalization ideas best suited to the needs of the immediate community and the QEII corridor of care where we reside.
Some 70,000 Albertans are on waiting lists for an operation, with over 50 per cent experiencing wait times exceeding clinical acceptable levels.
Can the Didsbury hospital be reconfigured as a specialized operating hospital (centre of excellence) dealing with a specific procedure such as knee and hip replacements?
Even a casual observation of our health-care system recognizes a need for more long-term care and designated supportive living facilities, rural mental health services, rehabilitation centres, Betty Ford-style addiction treatment centres, PTSD counselling centres for first responders and service members to name a few needs.
What are your ideas?
We don’t have much time to have these conversations, as the deadline for AHS to report back to the provincial government as to its next steps is May 13, 2020. This letter is a call to action.
Over the next 30-45 days, you will see opportunities to participate in conversations either in person, or through social media. Please participate; please encourage others to participate.
We may never get another opportunity such as this one to impact the provision of health care in our area.
Kevin Bentley,
Didsbury
