On Monday I had the honour of attending the official sod-turning for the Bethesda Primary Care Centre, which is expected to open in Steinbach in summer, 2017.
The Bethesda Primary Care Centre is a joint effort between Bethesda Foundation, Bethesda Wellness Incorporated, Steinbach Family Medical and Southern Health-Santé Sud and will provide spaces for up to 30 doctors and healthcare professionals, a pharmacy and other healthcare services. With an estimated cost of $12 million, the building will be over 29,000 square feet in size and is set to be built on property north of Stonebridge Crossing, near Eastman Education Centre along Loewen Boulevard.
It was special for me to be part of this event as it was the first official ceremony I was able to participate in as the provincial Minister of Health. The many partners involved with the centre have come together to ensure this project becomes a reality and that’s what Steinbach has always been about, working together in partnership. Working through obstacles and not seeing the challenges, but seeing the opportunities that are present. The Bethesda Primary Care Centre will become a reality because the community made it happen.
This facility has been in the works for many years and is a single stop centre for primary health, allowing patients to access family physicians, mental health providers and specialists. The campus setting allows people to access these different types of care, which in turn sees pressure come off of other aspects of the healthcare system and is an important part of preventative healthcare. The inclusion of many different disciplines in the same centre is both forward thinking and forward planning, and will serve the community and region for many years to come. I have always believed that we have a dual responsibility to not only provide quality care for those in need today, but ensure that our health-care system will be there for those who need it for generations to come.
While large projects like the Bethesda Primary Care Centre are important, it can’t be said enough that it’s the people working in the facility that make it truly special. We have some of the best medical professionals in all of Manitoba working in the south east, individuals who are tremendously compassionate and caring. These include doctors, nurses, pharmacists and many others, who I hear on a daily basis not only provide medical care, but provide compassionate care. A building is important, but in healthcare it is the medical professionals that make the lasting impact.
Congratulations to those who have made the Bethesda Primary Care Centre a reality and I look forward to future partnerships.
