Notley makes $40M pledge for new children's hospital

The Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton.

Alberta's official opposition is promising to invest $40 million into a new stand-alone facility for the Stollery Children's Hospital.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley made the pledge Friday, and said her party would provide the money over the next three years to support the planning and design of the new children's hospital.

“For families facing so much fear and uncertainty, the Stollery is a source of hope. But as Alberta grows, it is becoming more difficult to have this children’s hospital inside of an adult hospital,” Notley said in a press release Friday.

The Stollery Children's Hospital sees more than 300,000 patients each year, with around 40 per cent coming from out of the province. It's a major hub for pediatric heart surgery and a national leader in organ transplantation.

“Twenty-first century pediatric care shouldn’t take place in a 1970s building,” said Martin Schuldhaus, vice president of marketing and communications for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation. “The Stollery has the leading pediatric experts, treatment, and research, but the outdated, cramped building can barely keep up."

A NDP press release said the project is a priority for the party because it would improve pediatric care with more inpatient beds and reduced surgery times, which could mean less time spent in hospital for some families.

The NDP said the new stand-alone facility would also include expansions to child mental health programs, new programs focused on Indigenous health care and a new Family Health Teams clinic with pediatric specialists and other outpatient services for families.

"The hospital would be purpose-designed for kids and families, offering a sense of comfort and security for children often facing difficult circumstances, while also preparing Alberta for the growth in demand for pediatric care into the future,” Notley said.

The Stollery saw significant capacity challenges during a spike in respiratory illnesses in late 2022, when an influx of COVID-19, influenza and RSV patients triggered surge protocols.

Moving pediatric care to a dedicated space would also expand existing adult spaces at the University of Alberta Hospital.

In late February, $3 million in funding was promised by the UCP government as part of Budget 2023 to research a final cost, location and construction timeline for the stand-alone facility.

On April 24, Health Minister Jason Copping announced $12 million for Alberta's children's hospitals. That money would in part go to creating 12 new surge beds and one pediatric intensive care bed at the Stollery Children's Hospital. 

The NDP said it plans to have the new hospital open in around seven years, with three years spent on design followed by a construction timeline that would see the hospital operational in 2030.

The NDP said the cost to build the new Stollery would be offset by donor contributions raised by the Stollery Hospital Foundation. The foundation would also help cover operating costs once the new hospital was open.

CTV News Edmonton reached out to the Ministry of Health, but it declined to comment on Friday's announcement.