The Red Deer Regional Health Foundation, in collaboration with Alberta Health Services, announced Friday that the Cardiac Catheterization Lab (Cath Lab) at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre will open five years ahead of schedule.
With a permanent facility scheduled for completion in five years, this fixture will allow for care on an accelerated timeline, offering life-saving cardiac care to the residents of Central Alberta.
Manon Therriault, CEO of the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation, emphasized the significance of this development.
“In cardiac care, time isn’t just money, it’s muscle," she said. "The earlier patients receive treatment, the better their chances of recovery. This Cath Lab, coming approximately five years earlier than expected, could save up to 160 lives.”
The Cath Lab, which will be housed in a retrofitted space within the current hospital, will allow local cardiac patients to receive urgent care in Red Deer instead of requiring transfers to hospitals in Calgary or Edmonton.
A temporary lab is expected to be up and running in late 2026 or early 2027. The lab will be situated where the current hospital staff lounge is on the main floor. The permanent Cath Labs will also be on the main floor, close to the operating room. In the future, the temporary lab will be transformed into a cutting-edge Vascular and Neurology Lab.
The Red Deer Regional Health Foundation is providing financial support for the essential architectural, mechanical, and electrical upgrades.
Related stories:
“Through this Memorandum of Understanding with our Foundation partners, we’re underscoring our commitment to enhancing the cardiac care available at Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre,” says Karen Foudy, AHS Senior Operating Officer for Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre. “By establishing an interim catheterization laboratory, we will be able to provide a new service to patient’s years ahead of the completion of the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre Redevelopment Project which will help reduce the need for cardiac patients to travel to other facilities. This will also support our efforts to recruit and retain the talented healthcare professionals needed to provide care every day to our patients.”
Red Deer Regional Health Foundation raises and disburses funds for programs, services, and the purchase of medical equipment for the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre and other facilities in Alberta Health Services Central Zone.
**With information provided by Red Deer Regional Health Foundation
Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon.
Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@centralalbertaonline.com.
CentralAlbertaOnline encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the CentralAlbertaOnline app.