Location

The Covenant Wellness Community in southeast Edmonton provides much-needed relief to the Grey Nuns Community Hospital emergency department. The project prevents/averts a multimillion-dollar hospital expansion, increases system capacity and ensures the best use of hospital space.

Current challenges

Designed for 25,000 emergency visits annually, the hospital currently sees around 75,000 people. Approximately 25 per cent of these visits are semi-urgent or non-urgent and could be better addressed in the community.

The hospital serves a growing number of older adults and people with mental health concerns who are admitted in crisis and often stay in hospital for long periods before returning home or to continuing care.

Solution

Relocating outpatient clinics from the Grey Nuns hospital to the Covenant Community Health Centre frees up hospital space to accommodate an expansion of the emergency department. The Covenant Community Health Centre is home to medical and surgical clinics, outpatient mental health, diabetes education, cardiac rehabilitation and other services. It also provides leased space for doctors’ offices, complementary medical services (diagnostic and laboratory) and other health and wellness supports.

The design for the Covenant Wellness Community in southeast Edmonton reimagines seniors’ care to better serve older Albertans, bridging a healthcare gap for seniors who need support but not necessarily in a hospital or institutional setting. The design integrates features — such as access to transportation, healthy food and exercise sites — to help seniors stay independent, healthy and active in their community.

Integrated Seniors’ Continuing Care Centre

The Integrated Seniors’ Continuing Care Centre will provide a continuum of care to allow residents to age in place, even as their care needs change. Care levels may include adult day support and/or respite care, restorative care, continuing care (based on the levels of care provided within the building) and palliative care.

The centre will also house a centre of excellence for seniors’ innovation, which will bring families, caregivers and technology providers together to spearhead innovation and research.

The project recognizes health services delivery as an economic driver and incorporates a multisectoral approach to capital development. It will provide vital services for Albertans while creating jobs and leveraging private expertise, making efficient use of limited taxpayer dollars.

This project will create over 600 construction jobs, with over half a million hours of labour needed to construct the Covenant Community Health Centre alone. It will also create more than 1,300 permanent jobs among health and wellness partners, retail services and housing.

We expect the project to cost $250 million in total. The Covenant Community Health Centre is budgeted at $121 million, with costs covered through medical, retail and residential revenue as well as operational savings.

Responsible and sustainable construction practices are a priority for the Covenant Wellness Community in southeast Edmonton.

Recycling and repurposing

About 80 per cent of materials from the demolition of the MacEwan University Southeast Campus building formerly on the site will be recycled or repurposed for the development.

Sustainable practices and technology

The project incorporates modern sustainability practices and technologies, including sustainable landscaping and efficient mechanical and electrical systems, and will be able to integrate future sustainable technologies.

Sustainable transportation

The Covenant Wellness Community in southeast Edmonton is pedestrian- and bike-friendly and includes access to transit and electrical vehicle charging stations.