The Town of High River and its partners broke ground in late August on a building not normally associated with municipal governments - a new $6 million medical clinic.
The growing southern Alberta town of 11,800 about 20 minutes south of Calgary is a partner in the development of the 22,000-square-foot Charles Clark High River Medical Centre, which is being built next to the town's existing hospital.
Other partners in the initiative are local doctors and the fast-growing Municipal District of Foothills, which surrounds High River and the neighbouring growth centre of Okotoks.
High River's population grew by about 4 per cent from 2009 to 2010, but the community's ability to attract new doctors hasn't kept up with its lure for new residents.
"This is a momentous day that shows how a region and visionary, caring people can come together to create a facility that will attract more full-service family doctors, improve retention and deliver better health care to the people who live in our area," said Ron Gorsche, a family physician in High River.
Land for the medical centre was donated by the town. Low-interest financing to make the project economically viable was provided by the Municipal District of Foothills.
The foothills community is hardly the lone large town in Alberta that's willing to dive into the medical real estate business, though it is the first with a clinic complete.
The Town of St. Paul, situated about two hours northeast of Edmonton, has also been pursuing construction of a new medical clinic in that community, and the City of Cold Lake has been approached to back support for a new clinic.
from Western Investor, October 2010
