Two Calgary community health centres are receiving funding from the Alberta government as part of the province’s push to recruit more health providers and expand community health resources.
CUPS Calgary Society and The Alex Community Health Centre will receive $6.6 million and $11.6 million, respectively, over the next two years to expand their services.
According to a provincial news release on Tuesday morning, the funds aim to support a “wide range of expanded services” including primary health care for Indigenous and other marginalized groups, mental health services, outreach services, walk-in clinics and team-based care. The province also said the funding will expand support services like housing navigation, recovery support and food access programs.
“We want every Albertan to have access to a primary health care provider and timely, high-quality primary health care no matter where they live. To make this happen, we continue to implement recommendations from the modernizing Alberta’s primary care system initiative into action through a two-year implementation plan,” Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said at a news conference on Tuesday.
“The immediate priority of primary care is to ensure every Albertan has access to high-quality primary care services in all areas of the province, so all Albertans and their families are supported in their day-to-day health needs through every stage of life.”
Elaine Wilson, CUPS’ chief operating officer, said the funding will be used to provide “integrated, collaborative and holistic” primary care to vulnerable and marginalized Albertans.
“Thank you to the government of Alberta for investing in the community health centre model. This grant will enable CUPS to expand our services, ensuring vulnerable and marginalized Albertans have access to primary care that is integrated, collaborative and holistic,” Wilson said in Tuesday’s news release.
Joy Bowen Eyre, CEO of The Alex, said the community health centre will use the funding to provide more wraparound services for vulnerable Calgarians.
“This funding connects primary care providers and multidisciplinary teams to vulnerable Calgarians, allowing The Alex to significantly scale up wraparound services and deliver accessible, team-based care that improves health outcomes for at-risk individuals,” Eyre said in Tuesday’s news release.
