The Office of the Minister of Health has said that no decisions have been made regarding timelines or operational details for a newly approved business proposal by One Health Associate Medical in Airdrie for a new primary and acute care facility.
"Alberta’s government is currently working with One Health Airdrie to finalize details as we work to increase acute care and primary care services in the community," a written email statement from the Ministry added.
One Health business proposal approved
Last week, it was confirmed that the business proposal for the new Airdrie health center, which would house both primary and urgent care facilities, had been approved.
Related Stories:
- Major announcement on potential new Airdrie healthcare facility
- Concerns raised over the approval process for the new Airdrie healthcare facility
In a statement to DiscoverAirdrie, the Office of the Minister of Health stated, ' Alberta’s government recognizes there is a need to increase acute care and primary care services in Airdrie to ensure Albertans can access the care they need close to home.'
"To support the health needs in Airdrie, Alberta Health has approved a proposal by One Health Airdrie for an additional health care facility in the community."
The statement also noted that the facility would be required to operate using a joint leadership model, 'in which One Health Airdrie is the primary care operator, operating within Alberta’s approved physician compensation parameters.'
"Urgent care services will be provided by a proponent chosen through a competitive process to ensure they align with the refocused health care system. Capital funding for the project will be considered in budget 2025 deliberations."
Criticism of One Health proposal and process
Despite the reassurances of Dr. Julian Kyne, who has spearheaded the initiative, that what One Health is pursuing is not that of privatized healthcare, criticism has been levelled at the plan and the process. Previously, Friends of Medicare, a non-profit coalition that advocates universal public healthcare, reiterated their view that the process has not been transparent.
"The project is moving forward with no community health needs assessment, Request for Proposal or any of the usual public processes for procurement. They haven’t publicly announced it," said Chris Gallaway, Executive Director of Friends of Medicare. "The fact that the government has been so secretive about this every step of the way suggests that the project is more about securing private profits than improving care for people in Airdrie."
The group also said that, in their view, there are still many more questions than answers.
"Airdrie residents still haven’t been told what exactly this project is, why it has been approved, how it will benefit them, how much it will cost, or who will deliver these services. The government and One Health spokespeople keep claiming this isn’t privatization, but Albertans haven’t been offered anything to suggest otherwise,” said Gallaway. "What is this ‘competitive process’ that will be used to determine who will deliver urgent care services in this new facility? What is the funding model? Albertans deserve to know."
Gallaway also underlined that the province needs to recruit and retain healthcare workers, and One Health's proposal does not address this.
"The government’s push towards new private facilities continues to siphon workers out of our public system, making our frontline staffing crisis in hospitals and health centres even worse," he said. "This government is plowing ahead with major changes to Albertans’ public health care with absolutely no transparency to the public."
He called for the Minister to 'put a halt to this project until she can give Albertans the transparency and accountability they deserve.'
One Health's vision
In July, One Health volunteer Doug Smith also stated that the model that One Health and Dr. Kyne are proposing will have no access or membership fees for the primary care and urgent care portions. The primary care facility is currently designed to serve patients who are presently with One Health and will eventually be expanded to serve residents who do not have a family doctor.
"There is no additional charge for publicly funded services. All we're doing is bringing them all together and providing them in a better format in a better way," Smith told DiscoverAirdrie. "Those who can use this new approach will be current One Health patients and approximately 20,000 people in the Airdrie area who don't have a family physician today."
However, Smith admitted that residents who attended summer public engagement sessions previously expressed disappointment with this stipulation.
"The good part of that is that the main floor, the urgent care center, the community imaging center, and the other community spaces will be fully available to everybody in the community," he added.
Timeline of events regarding One Health Proposal
January 2024
The Airdrie Health Foundation was alerted that previously allocated funds for the renovations of the Airdrie Community Health Centre would be put on hold. DiscoverAirdrie confirmed with the government that the funds were indeed put on hold because of a new joint proposal from One Health and QUALICO Communities.
February 2024
Airdrie-East Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Angela Pitt previously confirmed that the paused renovations on the City's Community Health Centre would resume shortly. Later in the month, a spokesperson for Alberta Health confirmed work on the Airdrie Community Health Centre Site Optimization Project would restart in early March, and the renovations were estimated to be completed in the summer of 2025.
April 2024
The government confirmed to DiscoverAirdrie that it provided $85,000 to One Health Airdrie through a grant to co-develop a detailed business plan for an integrated primary care and urgent care facility in the area.
July 2024
One Health held a series of engagement sessions with Airdrie residents on the proposal.
August 2024
Airdrie City Council voted to redistrict a parcel of land in the city's southwest in the Vantage Rise housing development, which will 'provide additional commercial lands needed for the potential development of a health care centre within the Vantage Rise neighbourhood.'
September 2024
The Office of the Health Minister confirms that a business proposal for a new Airdrie health center, which would house both primary and urgent care facilities, has been approved.
Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com. You can also message and follow us on Twitter: @AIR1061FM.
DiscoverAirdrie encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the DiscoverAirdrie app.