Health Minister Jason Copping speaks outside the current Stollery Children's Hospital on March 23, 2023. (Gov't of Alberta YouTube)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

55,000 ER visits annually

Province provides $3 million for planning of new stand-alone Stollery

Mar 23, 2023 | 1:52 PM

The province is investing $3 million over three years to advance planning for a new, stand-alone Stollery Children’s Hospital.

By bed count, the Stollery in Edmonton is the second-largest children’s hospital in Canada. However, unlike most others, it is not its own building; it is currently located within the University of Alberta Hospital.

With 300,000 children visiting each year, including 55,000 ER visits, more than 12,000 surgeries, and almost 40 per cent of inpatients coming from outside the Edmonton area, the Stollery is critical to the overall health care system, the province says.

“Every parent who has ever had to take a child to a children’s hospital knows how valuable facilities like the Stollery are,” says Jason Copping, Health Minister. “Children’s health care needs are unique, and a world-class, pediatric, stand-alone hospital for the Stollery will allow it to continue to be one of the leading children’s hospitals in the country.”

A new Stollery will provide for more beds in private rooms, more space for kids to be with their families, and better teaching space and tech to enhance care.

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An Alberta Health spokesperson also clarifies that the space within the U of A Hospital currently used for the Stollery would be repurposed once the new Stollery is complete.

“A new purpose-built hospital would mean fewer trips to other facilities for appointments and more focus on the overall health of our kids,” says Katherine Sweet, director of stategic partnerships with the Stollery Foundation.

“With all their needs serviced in one facility, medical practitioners have more opportunity to collaborate on the overall health, with a better understanding of their complex needs.”

This commitment supports initial planning while the business case is being finalized, the province says. A full business plan is expected to be completed this summer.

The Stollery, which serves a geographical area of about 500,000 square kilometres and is a national leader in organ transplants, was established in 2001. It has 236 beds.