Hospitals in Lacombe and Sundre are among 20 rural facilities that will benefit from $15 million in funds to plan capital projects and services to better meet the needs of local communities, says the province.
Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said planning funds through the new Rural Hospital Enhancement Program will help to deliver timely upgrades to rural health care facilities across Alberta.
Facility and functional assessments are the first step.
"The first phase of the program will evaluate 20 health facilities that were selected based on factors such age, population needs, available services in the area, population demographics and expected population growth over the coming years," said LaGrange, who announced the program on Monday.
"Once the evaluations are complete later this spring, we will be developing project plans for each facility which will then be used to inform future capital planning discussions and funding decisions. We anticipate our phase one project plan will be complete this fall allowing the projects to be considered for design and construction funding as early as next year. "
The 20 health facilities that are part of the program include Lacombe Hospital and Care Centre, Myron Thompson Health Centre in Sundre, as well as facilities in Drayton Valley, Drumheller, Whitecourt, Brooks, Hinton, Lac La Biche, Vegreville, Slave Lake, Edson, Killam, Pincher Creek, Athabasca, Valleyview, Barrhead, High Level, Peace River, Spirit River and Milk River.
LaGrange added that the enhancement program fits perfectly in Alberta's seven new health corridors — North-West, North-East, Edmonton, Central, Calgary, South-West, South-East — announced last year.
The 2025-26 provincial budget also includes $25 million to complete projects approved under the Rural Health Facilities Revitalization Program, and $20 million in planning funds for primary care centres in rural, remote and Indigenous communities.
“More Albertans are choosing to live in rural communities, and we’re improving their access to health care services while planning for the future," said Ron Wiebe, parliamentary secretary for Rural Health North, in a statement.
Currently, more than 18 per cent of Albertans live in rural and remote communities, and Alberta's rural population is expected to grow by 20 per cent, from 1.06 million in 2023 to 1.27 million by 2051.
