Premier Alison Redford has announced funding for a new cancer clinic at the Foothills Medical Centre.
The facility will include inpatient beds, advanced diagnostic and treatment technologies and an outpatient facility. An area dedicated to cancer research will also be built.
“We know the need for cancer care will continue to grow, and we need a facility to increase capacity and improve patient care,” said Premier Redford. “This state-of-the-art facility will be a hub for cancer care for Calgary and southern Alberta.”
The clinic will receive $200 million in funding from the Alberta Cancer Foundation. The government says they will explore other financing options including the possibility of public-private partnerships to fund the rest of the centre.
The $181 million announced since 2010 for a new cancer ambulatory care facility would become a part of the new construction.
Once the new cancer centre is built, the current Tom Baker Cancer Centre will be repurposed.
The Alberta Cancer Foundation says that nearly one in two Albertans will develop cancer in their lifetime, and almost 16,000 people will be diagnosed with cancer this year.
It is hoped construction on the first phase of the new facility will begin in 2015/2016.