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Alberta's government is investing an additional $30 million in community health centres to expand access to health and social services for vulnerable Albertans in Calgary and Edmonton.
The funding brings the province's total investment in community health centres to $60 million over four years, supporting organizations that provide integrated care for individuals facing barriers to accessing traditional health services.
The investment will help expand same-day and ongoing primary care, mental health and addiction services, community outreach, housing navigation, food access programs and other wraparound supports designed to address both medical and social needs.
Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services Justin Wright said the funding will help ensure more Albertans receive the care they need without having to navigate the health system alone.
"Every Albertan deserves access to the care and support they need, when and where they need it," Wright said. "This investment will help more people facing barriers build lasting relationships with care teams and access health and social supports in their community."
Minister of Mental Health and Addiction Rick Wilson said the initiative supports the province's efforts to improve services for Albertans struggling with mental health and addiction challenges.
Community health centres focus on serving people experiencing poverty, homelessness, mental illness, addiction and other circumstances that can make accessing traditional primary care difficult. By combining health care with social supports under one roof, the centres aim to provide earlier intervention and reduce the need for emergency care.
According to the province, a previous $30-million investment expanded interdisciplinary care teams, improved access to ongoing primary care and strengthened community-based services. The additional funding is intended to build on those improvements by increasing front-line capacity, enhancing patient navigation and improving care coordination.
Leaders of participating organizations welcomed the announcement, saying the investment will allow them to continue delivering integrated care while improving health outcomes and reducing pressure on Alberta's broader health system.
The four organizations receiving funding over the four-year period are:
- The Alex Community Health Centre in Calgary – more than $23 million
- CUPS Calgary Society – more than $13 million
- Radius Community Health & Healing in Edmonton – $14 million
- Jasper Place Wellness Centre in Edmonton – $9.6 million
The province said participating centres will track patient outcomes and health-system use to measure the effectiveness of the investment.
Funding for the initiative is provided through the Canada-Alberta Bilateral Agreement to Improve Health Outcomes for Canadians.
(Source: Goverment of Alberta)
