Airdrie is making room for its next generation including a place for about 1,000 babies to be born each year.
A planned health centre will bring birthing services, urgent care and thousands of surgical procedures to the fast-growing Alberta city, where the population has climbed from about 30,000 to more than 90,000 over the past 20 years.
The Airdrie Covenant Health Centre, expected to open in 2031, will house two facilities: an Urgent Care and Birthing Centre and an attached Primary, Surgical and Ambulatory Care Centre.
Together, they are expected to provide capacity for more than 30,000 urgent care visits, about 1,000 deliveries and approximately 10,000 surgical procedures annually.
“Airdrie is one of Alberta’s fastest-growing communities, and we are investing in its future. This new health centre means more surgeries, more urgent care, and new birthing and specialized services for families in Airdrie. It’s a major step forward for health care in this community and one that will serve families for generations,” Premier Danielle Smith said.
For residents, the planned expansion promises a broader range of services within their community. Urgent care will address non-life-threatening health concerns, while surgical services will include hernia repairs, gastroenterology and gynecological procedures.
The urgent care facility could eventually scale up to accommodate 60,000 visits a year, according to the provincial government.
“As Airdrie and surrounding communities grow, people need access to more health services closer to home. This centre will help us respond to that growth and ensure health services keep pace with the needs of the community,” said Adriana LaGrange, minister of hospital and surgical health services.
The Alberta government will support construction and land acquisition for the Urgent Care and Birthing Centre. Covenant Health will develop the attached facility and work with the ministries of Hospital and Surgical Health Services and Infrastructure to align services with demand in Airdrie, northern Calgary and neighbouring communities.
However, the announcement leaves a key financial question unanswered: how much the project will cost.
The province says the total government investment and estimated project cost will be released once land acquisition and competitive bidding processes are complete.
The health centre will also serve as the first phase of the planned Covenant Wellness Community in Airdrie, a broader development intended to bring health and wellness services together in one place.
“Covenant Wellness Communities are about a simple idea: bring care together around people, rather than asking people to find their way between services. That’s how we put our commitment to caring for the whole person into practice. We’re grateful to the Government of Alberta for partnering with us to bring this vision to Airdrie, with more care closer to home. And we’re just getting started,” said Patrick Dumelie, president and CEO of Covenant Health.
Airdrie Mayor Heather Spearman framed the development as an investment in the community itself.
“This is more than an investment in health care. It is an investment in Airdrie’s people. We are so grateful to the Government of Alberta and Covenant Health for their partnership and commitment to the health needs of our growing city,” she said.
For a city that has nearly tripled in size, the announcement sets out a significant expansion of local care. Delivering that capacity now rests on turning the plans into facilities ready to welcome patients in 2031.
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