Premier Danielle Smith announces $59 million over three years for cardiac and ICU care at Chinook Regional Hospital and Medicine Hat Regional Hospital. (Image Credit: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Government announces $59 million for ICU & cardiac care in southern Alberta

Mar 2, 2026 | 1:33 PM

A major investment in local health services has been announced by the Alberta Government.

At Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge on Monday, Mar. 2, Premier Danielle Smith announced $59 million over three years for the South Zone Cardiac and Intensive Care Unit project.

“It’s been clear to our government that more capacity is needed, both here in Lethbridge and throughout the region,” says Smith.

The money will go towards cardiac catheterization labs at Chinook Regional Hospital and Medicine Hat Regional Hospital. It is expected to add up to 54 ICU beds to the hospital in Lethbridge and 18 in Medicine Hat.

The cardiac catheterization lab in Lethbridge will serve approximately 1,500-1,700 patients annually once fully operational.

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Dr. Sayeh Zielke, Physician Lead for Cardiac Services in the South Zone, says that this will make a significant difference for those who need urgent care.

“Our vision has been a holistic wrap-around cardiac sciences and cardiology care here in the region,” says Zielke. “That means prevention, intervention, and as well as diagnostics and recovery and rehabilitation.”

Zielke explains that the mortality rate surrounding cardiac care is about 30 per cent higher in southern Alberta than in the rest of the province. It is the leading cause of death in this region, which is also not the case elsewhere in Alberta.

This is partly due to a lack of specialized services.

Currently, more than 1,300 patients are transferred out of southern Alberta to Calgary for cardiac services, this author included.

READ MORE: Two heart surgeries later, why I believe Lethbridge’s cardiac centre will make a difference

By building these facilities in the province’s two largest cities south of Calgary, the goal is to ensure that fewer patients will need to travel as far to receive emergency healthcare.

The funding moves the project into the advanced planning and early construction stages. Government officials did not provide a timeline for when they hope these units will be ready.

Despite the major injection of money, fundraising still continues for the Bringing Hearts Home campaign.

Zielke says over $26 million has been raised so far, with a goal to reach $30 million by February 2027.

She said at Monday’s announcement that she is “incredibly proud” of everyone who has contributed to the campaign and helped to raise the profile of the need for more cardiac services.

The drive to raise money to create a new Cardiac Centre of Excellence, according to Zielke, is now “the single most successful fundraising campaign in the region’s history.”

Zielke told LNN after the media event that the total cost the build the cardiac centre is over $400 million, and the more money they are able to raise, the more they can do and the more funding they have direct control over.

READ MORE: Bringing Hearts Home raises $25M so far, but still needs $5M

You can watch the full announcement from the Government of Alberta below: