Alberta Health Minister Sarah Hoffman toured the renovated Sylvan Lake Community Health Centre on Friday, getting a look at where the town’s advanced ambulatory care services will be delivered starting June 4.

Upgrading the clinic to provide treatment for serious but non-life threatening conditions was a $2.3 million project by the provincial government.

“Rather than sending them on the highway or calling an ambulance, being able to treat people closer to where they’re at, treating people who are closer to home,” Hoffman said. “We know it’s going to be a big improvement.”

Healthcare advocate Susan Samson was also part of the tour, seeing the changes for the first time.

Samson, the former mayor of Sylvan Lake, is chair of the Sylvan Lake and Area Urgent Care Committee, a group of 17 healthcare professionals and residents who’ve been lobbying the government for years. The committee has also fundraised more than $300,000 for equipment purchases.

“It’s been a real journey, maybe even a crusade, because we started in 2011 and we worked with the previous government and we could get no traction on the need for additional medical services for this community and area,” Samson said.

“We couldn’t have done it without the support of the government but we also couldn’t have done it without the support of the committee, which is the municipalities, professionals in the community and the local doctors.”

Advanced ambulatory care services will be provided up to 16 hours a day, seven days a week.

Some of them include treatment for simple fractures, wounds and IV support. If needed, a defibrillator will be on site.

Christine Farries, who will manage these services, said staff will undergo training exercises until the end of the month to prepare for delivery.

“We’re going to have people that have pretend-broken arms, they’re going to come through, we’re going to look at how we’re going to treat those kinds of people,” Farries said.

“Are they going to be in a chair, a stretcher and how we’re going to move them efficiently through this site and treat them privately and discreetly as well.”

With file from Marquis Peterson.