There is no better time than today to start planning and saving for the future.
This philosophy is essentially the driving force that led local volunteer organizers to launch a new event to begin setting aside the significant amount of funds that will be required to build a new hospital in Sundre.
The existing facility is already 50 years old and is starting to show its age, said Gerald Ingeveld, one of the event's organizers as well as a sitting member of the Sundre Hospital Futures Committee.
“I can't see it lasting another 10 years,” he said about the aging facility, which could cost more than $20 million to build anew.
“Trying to do modern medicine in a 50-year-old building is just not sustainable.”
Considering the structure's age, the point is fast approaching that spending any more funds to keep the building to code will amount to lost money that could instead have been earmarked for a new hospital, he said.
“It's time to start thinking about replacing that facility.”
Alberta Health Services keeps tabs on hospitals throughout the province. The provincial authority identifies the facilities that require major renovations or outright replacement and ranks them by priority, he said.
“But they're powerless to act.”
That's because Alberta's ministry of infrastructure actually builds the facilities, as well as other public institutions such as schools, he said.
“We really come under the mercy of the infrastructure budget.”
So although Sundre is high on the list in terms of having an old hospital in aging shape, there are no major funding announcements expected any time soon. At what point the province could actually be in a position to replace the facility is anyone's guess, he said.
“The last time we needed a hospital in Sundre, which was 50 years ago, the community came together.”
The massive undertaking by dedicated volunteer pioneers laid the groundwork for fundraising as well as the lobbying efforts that eventually heralded the hospital in Sundre, he said.
“It was just an amazing bunch of very strong-willed ladies who really took the lead in that. It's a legacy — people haven't forgotten how much effort they put into getting the hospital here and keeping it here.”
Of course technology and medical practices have evolved greatly since then, he said.
“We feel now's the time to get started with this kind of unceasing lobbying to encourage politicians — those that cut the cheques — to keep Sundre high on the list, and to try to nudge that process along.”
At the same time, every effort must be made to maintain the existing hospital's high level of service and training standards, which include retaining dedicated professional health-care staff from nurses to doctors. Neglecting or failing to ensure that continued quality could ultimately result in losing the service, he said.
Although it's still early in the fundraising process to speculate when those efforts might yield fruit, Ingeveld said he hopes Sundre will have a new hospital within 10 years.
Residents are encouraged to support the hospital futures committee's efforts by attending the inaugural fundraising event. The Sundre Hospital Futures Legacy Gala takes place this Saturday, Nov. 12 at the Sundre Community Centre. Doors open at 5 p.m. with supper starting at 6 p.m. Tickets, which are limited, are available at Dougan's Farm Supply as well as the Sundre museum. Funds raised will be split between the continued efforts to recruit and retain medical professionals as well as the new hospital, said Ingeveld.
The evening will also feature a special recognition for Sundre's own Dr. Michelle Warren, who was recently named the 2016 recipient of the Alberta Rural Physician Award of Distinction.
“She's the epitome of the small-town girl who loves small towns and who's really dedicated her life to a small town,” said Ingeveld.
The duties of rural doctors are many, and Warren does not shy away when called upon.
“She's had her share of jumping into ambulances. That's the rural doctor. It's a great life once you find out about it, but it's a challenging life. You have to be a special person, and she certainly is.”
