New clinic aims to reduce stress for children and speed access to care
The Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton is opening a new paediatric surgery clinic after completing a largely donor-funded redevelopment that hospital officials and patients say will improve access to surgical care and make the experience less intimidating for children and families.
The newly constructed clinic, announced at a celebration held on Friday, represents a total investment of $19 million. Donors contributed nearly $13.8 million, while the provincial government provided $4.85 million toward the project.
Hospital leaders say the clinic is designed to offer both improved clinical capability and a more welcoming environment for young patients. The facility includes 23 clinic rooms and incorporates diagnostic imaging space so X-rays and other imaging can be completed on site — a change intended to reduce the number of visits families must make and to streamline surgical assessment and planning.
Design choices reflect focus on family experience
Christine Westerlund, senior operating officer at the Stollery Children’s Hospital, described the design as deliberately aimed at reducing the clinical anxiety children often feel when attending medical appointments.
“The idea of taking the clinical scariness out of it and making it sort of feel like a fun place to be,”
Westerlund noted the waiting area features bench seating to keep families together, charging stations at several seats, play areas for younger children and murals that highlight Edmonton, Alberta and Canada as part of the clinic’s visual design.
Patients say the space will calm children before procedures
Longtime patient Cameron Nagel, who has attended the Stollery with his mother Dana and a sibling for more than 20 years, welcomed the changes. He contrasted the new space with the old surgery clinic and said features such as murals and televisions will help calm younger patients prior to stressful procedures.
“It makes me excited because this is more targeted towards both younger and older audiences, where the old surgery clinic — there was no murals or a TV,”
Hospital officials and patient families say those seemingly small comforts can have a real effect on co‑operation, pain perception and overall patient experience, particularly for repeat visitors and complex surgical cases.
Local implications and what the new clinic provides
For Edmonton and surrounding communities, the clinic’s combination of on-site imaging and expanded clinical space aims to reduce unnecessary travel and appointment duplication, especially for families who travel from smaller centres in northern Alberta and the Prairies for specialist care.
- 23 clinic rooms for pre- and post-operative assessments and consultations.
- On-site diagnostic imaging to allow X-rays and similar tests without referring patients to another facility.
- Family-centred design features including seating to keep families together, charging stations and play areas.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total project cost | $19 million |
| Donor contributions | $13.8 million (approximately) |
| Provincial investment | $4.85 million |
While clinical throughput figures and projected reductions in wait times were not released at the event, hospital leadership emphasised the clinic’s role in improving the continuum of surgical care — from assessment and imaging to pre‑operative preparation and post‑operative follow‑up.
The investment underscores the role of philanthropic support in maintaining and expanding specialised paediatric services in Edmonton. For families who rely on the Stollery, those enhancements may translate to fewer appointments, swifter diagnostic work and a more comforting experience for children facing surgery.
Hospital staff expect the new clinic to start receiving patients as of Monday following the completion event.
