Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary and the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton will be better equipped to care for the youngest Albertans, particularly when cases of respiratory illness spike in the fall and winter months.
Alberta has the best front-line health care workers in the world, and Alberta’s government is committed to putting the right supports in place for Albertans of all ages, so they get the care they need when and where they need it.
The respiratory illness season this past winter highlighted that additional surge capacity is needed in children’s hospitals. By adding more dedicated front-line health care workers, Alberta’s hospitals can provide a better level of care for patients and a better working environment for health professionals.
“We know we need more beds and staff in our health care system, including specialized beds for young Albertans and the professionals needed to support them. This new funding creates capacity in our system so we can respond to the evolving needs of Alberta families.”
The additional funding will create 10 new surge beds and six pediatric intensive care unit beds at Alberta Children’s Hospital, as well as 12 new surge beds and one pediatric intensive care unit bed at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. Funding will also expand the hours of short stay surgical units at both hospitals so they are open on the weekends.
“The new funding will help ensure AHS has predictable staffing and flexible bed capacity to meet increasing seasonal demand for inpatient pediatric care. These additional resources will support us in continuing to provide the best in care and treatment to our youngest Albertans.”
Alberta Health Services will also hire an additional 113 permanent, year-round critical care positions to support the increase in beds – 61 in Calgary and 52 in Edmonton. The new staffing resources provide additional capacity at children’s hospitals to meet the increasing demand for inpatient pediatric care.
“For me, this announcement will help ensure myself, my team, and pediatric care providers throughout Alberta, are better equipped to ensure our young patients have the care they need, when it is needed most. These resources will not only benefit our patients but will also have a significantly positive impact on the well-being of health care workers like myself.”
“For the last 13 years, the Alberta Children's Hospital has fixed my heart and put the pieces of my lupus puzzle together. For kids like me with a chronic illness, ongoing hospital involvement and surgeries are a reality. And knowing there is an amazing hospital with the space, technology and dedicated staff gives us peace of mind and security. It gives us confidence to go out into the world, knowing it is there for us when we need it.”
Budget 2023 secures Alberta’s future by transforming the health care system to meet people’s needs, supporting Albertans with the high cost of living, keeping our communities safe and driving the economy with more jobs, quality education and continued diversification.
Quick facts
- Alberta Children’s Hospital provides specialized treatment for children across Alberta and has grown to become a nationally and internationally recognized leader in pediatric medicine.
- The facility currently has 141 beds.
- The Stollery Children’s Hospital is a full-service pediatric hospital and centre for complex pediatric care and research.
- It currently has 236 beds.
- The Stollery is Western Canada’s referral centre for pediatric cardiac surgery and a national leader in organ transplantation.
- The Alberta Children’s Hospital is the pediatric referral centre in Alberta for bone marrow transplants.