April 18, 2006 Source: :
http://www.expressnews.ualberta.ca/newsreleases.cfm?id=7490 The Edmonton Clinic to increase patient accessibility and enhance teaching capability The University of Alberta and Capital Health today announced the naming of The Edmonton Clinic, formerly the Health Sciences Ambulatory Learning Centre. The clinic will be a $577-million health sciences facility that will house diagnostic services and day clinics from the University of Alberta and Stollery Children's Hospitals, freeing up much needed space for additional hospital beds and will provide one-stop access for patients. The Edmonton Clinic will also open the door for the university to transform the province's health services workforce in order to meet future needs with a focus on patients, flexibility, team oriented, research based and culturally sensitive approaches. The Clinic will use cutting-edge technologies to support the clinical education of health sciences students in rural and remote communities. The Edmonton Clinic will play a significant role in Alberta's health-reform strategy and position the capital region as one of North America's leading health-services delivery and academic hubs. It will decrease waiting times and improve patient access to ambulatory (out-patient) clinics. As well, it will benefit rural Albertans who will have increased access to ambulatory clinics thus reducing the amount of time needed to spend away from their homes. The Clinic will open in 2011, and will be about 170,000 square metres. In addition to accommodating day clinics and increasing the number of available hospital beds, the clinic will create an interdisciplinary education environment for the 6,000 students in the full spectrum of University of Alberta health sciences programs. The presidents of the University of Alberta and Capital Health believe the integrated approach will become a model for academic health centres across North America. University of Alberta President Dr. Indira Samarasekera says the InterProfessional approach to learning will increase the university's ability to educate more students. "The team-based approach to teaching will give our students access to the latest healthcare developments and will greatly strengthen our ability to meet the province's need for highly educated healthcare professionals," says Dr. Samarasekera. She adds that the health science faculties attract more than $208 million in research activity annually. "This kind of research support paves the way for the innovative research advances that Albertans need and deserve." "Our collaborative approach has already established Capital Health and the University of Alberta as national leaders in health care and education," says Capital Health President and CEO Sheila Weatherill. "This centre will ensure that we continue to develop innovative and cost-effective opportunities that enhance quality patient care and services and contribute to research and education." The Edmonton Clinic will bring together University of Alberta medical students, nurses, pharmacists, rehabilitation medicine professionals, dental professionals, laboratory technologists, nutritionists and health promotion personnel so they are better prepared to function as team members. By integrating the educational programs with the actual clinical setting, the university will enhance the skills of its graduates within the actual health system. The university will also develop interdisciplinary research teams to address questions concerning health and disease, patient and family experience, service delivery approaches and population health challenges. More than 2,000 health sciences professionals will operate out of the facility serving an expected one million patient visits annually. Clinics to be relocated to the new facility include family medicine, diabetes, orthopedics, neurosciences, rehabilitation and dentistry. The clinic, which will be built on the west side of 114 Street by the new Health Sciences LRT station, will be connected to the University of Alberta Hospital and the Health Research Innovation Facility by an over-the-street pedway. Capital Health in Edmonton is Canada's largest health region and is affiliated with the University of Alberta, providing integrated health services to one million residents in Edmonton and the surrounding area. Capital Health acts as a referral centre to central and northern Alberta, the North and the Prairies, providing specialized services such as trauma and burn treatment, organ transplants and high-risk obstetrics. The University of Alberta in Edmonton is one of Canada's premier teaching and research universities serving 36,500 students with some 9,400 faculty and staff. It is renowned for its diabetes treatment breakthrough, cutting edge nanotechnology innovation, advanced energy research and the study of English literature. Please visit www.ualberta.ca for more information. For more information please contact: Sandra Halme, University of Alberta Public Affairs, 780-492-0442. Mike Deising, Capital Health Public Affairs, 780-407-2602; pager 780-445-7307. April 18, 2006
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