The Clairmont Health and Wellness Committee is planning to approach Alberta Health Services about the feasibility of opening a centre in their hamlet.
County of Grande Prairie Division 2 Councillor Daryl Beeston says things are in the very preliminary stages, and they just want to let AHS know that there is a need.
“Apparently we’ve been told that Alberta Health Services is not going to be looking at any more Family Care Clinics. We have to find out what the process is that they’re looking for, and see if we can fit into that need.”
Beeston says a clinic of some sort in Clairmont would serve about 3000 to 3500 people in the area.
“We would like to have a clinic where anybody can drop in and get medical attention without having to go sit in the ER for four or five hours.”
There are already a few health care centres around the county, but Beeston says a new facility in the hamlet would take some of the pressure off of those, both in the city and the county.
“There are services in the city, but a lot of the people in the city are coming out and using the services either in Beaverlodge or Sexsmith, so even those areas are being overloaded already.”
At this point, the committee is in the process of drafting their letter to AHS, and hopefully setting up a time to meet with the health authority.