The expansion of CapitalCare Norwood is well underway now with the construction crane rising above the central Edmonton site. Yesterday, the Government of Alberta announced a new name for the building: Gene Zwozdesky Centre at Norwood. Mr. Zwozdesky was a community builder at heart and a dedicated Member of the Legislative Assembly in Alberta for over 20 years, leading a number of ministries and later becoming the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

“The CapitalCare Foundation is pleased to see the bringing together of a great continuing care building project for Edmonton with such an amazing Albertan. Gene Zwozdesky’s belief in a ‘community that helps each other’ is the basis of the work we are doing for the Stepping Up for Norwood campaign. We are excited to see the naming of this building to be the Gene Zwozdesky Centre at Norwood,” said Sherry Schaefer, director of CapitalCare Foundation.

Programs and services at the centre will support the wellbeing of seniors and those with complex continuing care needs. The centre will offer highly specialized rehabilitation programs, palliative care, hemodialysis, long-term care, day programs, dementia care and seniors’ mental health services.

The new facility will play a vital role in increasing continuing care capacity, reducing demand for acute care and assisting post-acute care patients by streamlining access to specialized services at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital and Royal Alexandra Hospital. The project will increase continuing care beds by 145 new spaces in the Edmonton area and help address the growing need for continuing care capacity.

“Our family is so proud to have Gene’s name on the new Norwood,” said Christine Zwozdesky, wife of Gene Zwozdesky. “He believed in the work CapitalCare has undertaken with this complex initiative, supporting seniors and those requiring assistance to be independent, and he would be truly humbled by this honour.”