New ICU at U of A's Brain Centre will double capacity: province

The University of Alberta Hospital Brain Centre is getting a new neurosciences intensive care unit. The announcement was initially made as part of the 2022 budget, and the province expanded on it on Tuesday.

The new ICU will be made possible because of a $98 million investment from the provincial government and the University Hospital Foundation.

The money will fund construction of an up-to-date space that will replace the existing ICU, which is nearly 40 years old. The new facility will have double the capacity of the existing one.

“This funding brings the province a step closer to providing a new and expanded world-class neuro ICU unit to give patients with life-threatening conditions such as strokes, head injuries and tumours the best chance for treatment and recovery,” said Health Minister Jason Copping in a written release.

“The Biggs and Allen Neurosciences ICU at the University of Alberta Hospital is one of only two dedicated neurocritical care units in Canada, providing care to more than 900 patients per year. Our team provides world-class care in a unit that isn’t able to grow with us due to space limitations,” said Dr. Dennis Djogovic, medical director, University of Alberta Hospital neurosciences ICU. “As technology advances and our population grows, we look forward to being able to provide cutting-edge care to our patients with complex neurological and neurosurgical disorders in a quieter, more private setting that can better accommodate families as they provide essential support for their loved one’s healing.”

The province says about 12 per cent of admissions at the U of A hospital are brain-related. The facility serves as a referral centre for northern Alberta, northeastern British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories.

Construction is expected to take five years.