Alberta Health Services is set to take over operation of a 52-bed seniors care centre in Hinton, after buying the facility from a non-profit organization for $2.5 million.
The purchase of the Mountain View Centre from the Lutheran-based Good Samaritan Society was announced Wednesday, with AHS expected to take full ownership of the site by March 31.
The sale price is dependent on the Good Samaritan Society repaying some loans and installing new boilers in the facility, the government said.
“The biggest driver here is that we want to ensure seniors and others who acquire health care needs have the ability to stay in the communities they call home,” Health Minister Sarah Hoffman told a media scrum, an audio recording of which was provided to Postmedia.
Hoffman did not say if the purchase is an example of how the NDP government plans to handle the construction and operation of continuing care spaces in the future.
Alberta’s system currently features a mix of AHS-affiliated, private and non-profit operators, but there are strong indications the NDP would prefer to see more beds under the public umbrella.
Many of the province’s care facilities were built under the Alberta Supportive Living Initiative, which provided 50 per cent of the up-front construction costs to private and non-profit organizations chosen to build and operate the sites.
The NDP government ended that program, but has yet to announce a replacement.
The Mountain View Centre was constructed in 2002 with government contributions. It was initially funded for 25 long-term care beds, but the former Progressive Conservative government later downgraded the units to supportive living — a move that has remained a sore point for some Hinton residents.
The facility has 37 supportive living suites and a 15-space dementia care cottage. Hoffman said long-term care will come back to the facility, but AHS first needs to evaluate the town’s needs.
The province has vowed to keep staffing at current levels.