Improved emergency services at Calgary's Peter Lougheed Centre completed

The first phase of renovations at Calgary's Peter Lougheed Centre are now complete, the Alberta government says.

The renovations include an expansion of the emergency department, the relocation and expansion of the mental health wing, and an improved lab section.

Health Minister Adriana LaGrange unveiled the improvements at an event at the hospital on Tuesday morning.

"The redeveloped emergency department at the Peter Lougheed Centre is another example of our commitment to strengthening our health care system in Calgary and across the province," she said. "The opening of the redeveloped emergency department will provide enhanced emergency care to better meet the needs of Calgarians."

In 2020, the United Conservative government announced $137 million for emergency room upgrades at the facility.

The completed work is just Phase 1 of the renovations, which began in spring 2021. A second phase of construction will begin in the fall.

That portion of work will include new equipment "that will help improve the patient experience."

"This includes the addition of a portable X-ray machine (two total), four additional bedside ultrasounds for a total of six, and a bladder scanner," the province said in a statement.

"When fully finished in 2025, the new emergency department will provide 25 additional care spaces, each with the added capability of continuous cardiac monitoring, while increasing the overall space of the emergency department from 2,300 square feet to 4,600 square feet."

Opened in 1988, the Peter Lougheed Centre was originally designed to accommodate between 30,000 and 40,000 patients each year.

The province said the hospital saw nearly twice that number in 2022, a nine per cent increase from 2021.

"Thank you to the Government of Alberta for crucial investments like this that strengthen and continue to develop essential health care in Alberta. The opening of the expanded emergency department demonstrates the government’s commitment to meet the growing needs of our city while helping improve access to care for those who need it most," said Mauro Chies, president and CEO of Alberta Health Services.

Once all of the work is complete, the capacity at the hospital will have doubled and the government says there will be reduced emergency wait room times as a result.

(With files from Jacqueline Wilson)