Province tabs $39M for The Pas health-care centre

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This article was published 05/06/2023 (1170 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A long-awaited expanded primary health clinic in The Pas is getting the green light from the Manitoba government.

Premier Heather Stefanson said the province will spend $39 million to expand and redevelop The Pas Primary Health Care Clinic.

“The Manitoba government is committed to making health care more accessible and equitable for patients, including those living in rural or remote communities across the province,” Stefanson said in a release.

She was in the northern community Monday morning to confirm the capital expansion would move forward as part of an overall $145-million spending program in the region.

The new clinic will be located near The Pas Health Complex and include a primary care clinic, clinical support services focused on preventative and chronic conditions, and access to public health, mental health and addiction services.

The Northern Patient Transportation Program for The Pas will also be located at the new clinic.

The new building will replace two aging sites currently in use.

Design and planning is underway and construction is expected to start in the 2024-25 fiscal year.

“This much anticipated clinic in The Pas will provide the infrastructure needed to deliver quality, accessible health care to residents in the community and area while supporting the recruitment and retention of health-care providers,” Northern Regional Health Authority chief executive officer Raj Sewda said in a release.

“We expect the overall investments being made into health care for northern Manitoba will benefit our residents for years to come, while providing our staff with efficient and effective spaces to (work).”

The capital project is part of the Manitoba government’s Clinical and Preventative Services Plan.

Health Minister Audrey Gordon said it is crucial to enhance the health services available in The Pas, including mental health and addictions supports, to improve outcomes for residents.

“The new clinic will support a long-term view of health and increased access, continuity and comprehensiveness of patient-centred care for residents in The Pas and surrounding communities,” Gordon stated.

In 2016, the NDP government announced a new primary care clinic for the community to be adjacent to the local hospital. The Progressive Conservatives scrapped the project in early 2017, owing to budgetary constraints.

According to the province, another $115 million will be spent on “other improvements in health services,” equipment and capital projects.

Spending priorities will be chosen health system planners working in partnership with community stakeholders, a release noted, and a “special northern collaborative working team” was established earlier this year.

The group’s mandate is to establish regional priorities and identify required services in alignment the Clinical and Preventive Services Plan.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca