Two new medical facilities scheduled for completion by the end of summer in St. Albert are shelved for the time being.
Originally slated to open its doors this spring, the St. Albert Health and Wellness Centre has yet to find a home.
“There’s no progress to date,” said Michael Pavone, owner of Pavone Developments. The company was drawing up plans last March to attract 10 to 15 medical and wellness operations – including family physicians, chiropractors, naturopaths and dental practices – to a commercial lot on St. Albert Trail.
The plans fell through, said Pavone, adding the main barrier to further progress is finding land in the city.
Construction is complete on St. Albert Crossing, another medical professional centre intended to attract family physicians, but it is facing financial troubles. The three-storey office building sits next to Socrates Restaurant on St. Albert Trail.
Hesham Elfar, operations manager with A&E Architectural & Engineering Group, the company that designed the centre, said St. Albert Crossing is currently in receivership.
Mayor Nolan Crouse said the city is actively working with developers on the construction of a third facility, the Sturgeon Medical Arts Centre, across from the Sturgeon Community Hospital.
The 60,000 square-foot, three-storey complex is intended to house a variety of medical practices, such as family doctors, pharmacies and medical labs, at a price tag of $15 to $18 million.
The facility is projected to open its doors by summer 2014.
The medical arts centre is a key project of the physician attraction taskforce started by Crouse in May 2011. He stated the main focus of the group is to attract family physicians, for which there is a growing need in the community.
Brian Jackson, executive director of the St. Albert and Sturgeon Primary Care Network, admitted that although it is difficult to quantify how many physicians are needed in a specific area, there is no doubt St. Albert is a growing community.
He explained cost is one of a number of factors that affect physician recruitment and retention.
“As with any small business owner – a family physician is faced with (the) costs of staffing, leases, equipment, operating costs … for many physicians coming right out of school … these costs are out of reach.”
Currently there are 57 family physicians practising in St. Albert – not including part-time or temporary (locum) physicians.
