Stelmach Community Health Centre Opens in Southeast Edmonton
First building in Covenant Wellness Community campus offers primary care, outpatient clinics, diagnostic imaging, and relocated cardiac rehabilitation services.
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The Stelmach Community Health Centre, the first site in southeast Edmonton's Covenant Wellness Community, officially opened its doors Tuesday, June 23.
Named after former Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach and his wife Marie, the new centre functions as a hub for multiple health care services including primary care, outpatient clinics, and diagnostic imaging. The facility also houses the cardiac rehabilitation clinic, relocated from Grey Nuns Community Hospital.
Relocating services out of the hospital and integrating them into the community makes care more accessible and takes pressure off hospital infrastructure, allowing the hospital to expand its emergency department, according to Covenant Health President and CEO Patrick Dumelie. "It's really been a real tremendous improvement for the staff, but also for the patients to have the proper space and the proper environment to give care," Dumelie said.
Stelmach, who served as premier from 2006 to 2011, reflected on his childhood experiences with care from the sister servants of Mary Immaculate: "It taught me that health care is ultimately about people. It's about compassion, dignity and seeing each person as a whole."
Covenant Health plans to add more buildings to the campus, including an integrated senior's continuing care centre, residential housing, and commercial retail spaces. No timeline for phase two has been set as it has not yet received provincial approval.