Richard Froese
South Peace News
Big Lakes County helped celebrate the launch of a new medical centre in Grande Prairie May 20 to meet growing health needs of the Peace region.
Three councillors attended the ground- breaking ceremony at the Maskwa Medical Center.
The centre is an innovative healthcare initiative designed to enhance access to medical specialists and family physicians for people in northern Alberta, says a Big Lakes news release dated May 20.
Located beside the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital, the new centre will feature a specialist clinic, a teaching clinic to support physician training and space for new family physicians.
It will also include a retail floor with access to pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and a daycare that will make the centre a fully integrated health services hub for the Peace region.
Big Lakes Reeve Tyler Airth says the new centre will benefit local people and communities.
“The Maskwa Medical Center will significantly improve access to quality care, help attract and retain physicians in our region and provide real, lasting benefits for families across our communities,” Airth states in the news release.
“We are excited to be part of this transforma- tive project.”
At its regular meeting April 9, council agreed to contribute $282,313 in 2025, 2026 and 2027 for a total of $846,940.
Funding was based on the county’s population of 4,982 residents at a rate of $170 per resident as requested by Maskwa.
Estimated to cost $35 million, the centre is scheduled to open in 2026.
Maskwa is an Alberta-based, not-for- profit registered charity initiated and led by residents of the Peace region. Its mission is to improve access to timely high-quality care and is focussed on accelerating specialist consultations and family physician access to rural and northern communities.
Maskwa says the new facility will not require any overall increase in healthcare costs for the healthcare system and will reduce long-term healthcare costs.