The Society for Hospital Expansion in Central Alberta, also known as SHECA, is demanding transparent and fair health care funding.

The society was organized in light of recently obtained data outlining health infrastructure investments throughout Alberta, where a number of doctors realized that the current finances are altogether unfair.

As it stands now, out of the five zones in Alberta for health infrastructure investment, Central Alberta receives 1000% less funding than the four other zones.

“The difference should not be 1000%, the difference shouldn’t even be 100%. This is a major discrepancy,” says Dr. Kym Jim, SHECA co-founder.

SHECA is demanding the release of the Updated Needs Assessment for Red Deer Regional Hospital that should have been completed in the fall of 2018, but yet, was not publicly released by Premier Rachel Notley.

“You may hear a defense of these numbers that goes along the lines of Central Alberta hasn’t seen the same growth as Edmonton and Calgary. But we certainly have seen the same growth as other zones outside of Edmonton and Calgary and I would argue for my second point that the growth trajectory that Central Alberta is one that is very, very similar to what Edmonton and Calgary is on,” explained Jim.

This sort of funding sets back Central Alberta’s hospitals a great deal and means that its patients are more often sent to the hospitals of Edmonton and Calgary region. A patient moving from one hospital to another, in some severe cases poses as a threat to patients as well as makes things more difficult for their loved ones.

“If you’re in emergency in Lacombe, and you have someone who needs a higher level of care, they wouldn’t be able to send them to Red Deer and instead they will have to send them to Edmonton which is a much bigger and difficult thing. I have worked in the cities too. It’s always easier to take a referral from somebody close by. It’s harder to refer people when you’re trying to refer them from far away. It will definitely help the people in surrounding communities,” explained Dr. Alan Toole, SHECA co-founder.

“We are on track for no new net hospital beds for 25 years. That is a quarter of a century. That is the path we are on. Let me explain this a bit, the last hospital beds were added in Red Deer in about 2003. If we believe health services that it takes about 8 years to plan and complete a hospital of the magnitude that’s likely required in Red Deer. We are approximately looking at 2027. That is 24 to 25 years and that is if funding started today and planning started today,” said Jim.

Heart attack survivor, Joe Smith comments on his experiences in the current system, “We stopped at the hospital to start my heart because it stopped and they got me stabilized as much as they could. Then I went to the trip up to Edmonton and it was pure terror. It was terrible, an hour and a half and I am sick and in pain...,” said Smith continuing, “and when we got to Edmonton my heart had stopped.”

Although Smith survived the experience, his stability, and recovery was prolonged by the Edmonton referral and was put through a number of trying procedures as a result.

Gaining funding means better and closer immediate care for patients in the Central Alberta area and not just in Red Deer. It means that doctors are not putting a patient’s life at risk by sending them for care elsewhere. It also means more economic benefits and more career opportunities for Central Albertans.

To help with the cause, SHECA encourages people to hold their elected official accountable for this crisis, to volunteer, to join their rallies, and in other words, demand the care and change that is needed. To learn more about SHECA click here.