Cochrane’s urgent care centre will not be opening its doors until 2011, said Alberta Health Services (AHS) spokesperson Bruce Conway.

Last April, $15 million in funding  was announced to finish the Cochrane Community Health Centre being built on Grand Boulevard. At that time, AHS reported the exterior of the building should be completed by the fall and the interior will take 10 months after that to finish.

But Conway said currently the care centre is only in the detailed interior design stage, with construction of the interior starting in early spring 2010 and doors opening in 2011.

Conway said the services that will be in the new building have not changed: an urgent care centre, diagnostic imaging (an X-ray clinic), lab services, mental health, community care, chronic disease management, living well with a chronic condition, public health, environmental health, pre-school speech language pathology, school health team, and oral health.

“A wide variety of services will be available there,” said Conway.

On another health note, the Health Advisory board for the Cochrane area has been chosen, but none of the representatives are from Cochrane.

The councils are meant to provide meaningful opportunities for public engagement with AHS.

They are to act in an advisory role while engaging community members and gathering feedback on local health services delivered in communities across the province.

Seven of the 15-member council for Cochrane’s region are from Calgary, two are from Okotoks, one is from Carseland, one from Claresholm, one is from Priddis, one is from Canmore, one is from Irricana, and one is from Airdrie.

Lynn Redford, vice president for community engagement for AHS, said while there were applicants from the area none were chosen.

“It’s hard to get from everywhere around the area,” said Redford.

She said the next step is to get the group together. They start meeting in January, and will meet four to six times a year, and will be responsible for an annual review of health care in the area.x

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