Airdrie health centre to offer 24/7 urgent care by early 2017

Around the clock urgent medical care will be available in Airdrie by early next year, the province confirmed Wednesday.

Urgent care at the Airdrie Community Health Centre, currently offered from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., will be expanded to24/7, the province said in a release.

The plan is expected to be finalized by Sept. 30.

"We promised stability in the system and to listen to regional voices, and that's what we're doing," said Health Minister Sarah Hoffman.

"Airdrie is only the most recent example of how getting out of the boardroom and into the community gets us real results that work for patients."

Airdrie Mayor Peter Brown said it's an exciting upgrade to the level of health care available in the city.

"Access to 24/7 health services within our own city has been a long time coming. This is a good first step in becoming one of Alberta's healthiest communities," he said.

Michelle Bates, the chair of the Airdrie Health Foundation, saysthere's still work to do tomeet the medical needs of the city.

"What we need is a health park to keep our residents close to home. Calgary hospitals are just too far away and are at above capacity of a lot time. Airdrie needs to be seen as its own city with its own unique needs," she said.

Airdrie is about 15 kilometres north of Calgary.

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