Urology centre given go-ahead
Calgary Herald
Friday, June 15, 2007
Page: B1 / FRONT
Section: City & Region
Byline: Michelle Lang
Source: Calgary Herald
Local patients with problems ranging from prostate cancer to incontinence will soon be treated at a $25-million urology clinic to be constructed at Rockyview Hospital.
Calgary Health Region officials announced the Southern Alberta Urology Centre on Thursday, saying it will be built entirely with cash from fundraising efforts and will be one of the largest of its kind in Canada.
The clinic will consolidate the city's urology services into a single building, offering diagnosis, treatment and support to patients.
"There's an increasing demand for the services that are going to be provided in the clinic," said David Tuer, chairman of the CHR's board.
"Right now, the wait times for some of the services are up to a year. So we'll be shortening that a lot."
Calgary philanthropists Sam and Betty Switzer, as well as Brett Wilson and Doc Seaman, who are both prostate cancer survivors, are each donating $5 million to the clinic. Calgary Health Trust officials are confident they will be able to raise the remaining $10 million needed to build the facility.
When Wilson was diagnosed with the disease in 2001, he elected to travel to the U.S., where he underwent treatments that weren't available locally. He said the clinic will ensure leading-edge therapies are easily accessible here.
"It's a disease that has not been well organized in terms of support," said Wilson. "As survivors, we're pleased at the opportunity to step up the support program in Alberta."
In addition to treating conditions like prostate cancer and incontinence, the clinic is expected to serve patients with kidney stones, urinary tract problems and bladder and kidney cancers.
The 40,000-square-foot clinic will be built on top of a new parkade at Rockyview Hospital, where a major expansion is now underway.
In addition to screening and treatment services, the centre will have research for clinical trials as well as an education component.
It will also house the Prostate Cancer Institute, which runs a local clinic that has significantly slashed waiting times for prostate cancer treatments.
Dr. Bryan Donnelly, a Calgary urologist, said Thursday that delays for most urology treatments are not long in Calgary, noting most specialists in the area have a waiting list ranging from four weeks to three months. But he said the clinic will offer patients better service.
"We want a patient who has a urological problem to come to one place where everything is dealt with," said Donnelly. He added consolidating all services into a single clinic was part of a larger 10-year plan for urology in Calgary.
Construction on the project is expected to begin shortly.