The Community Foundation of Southeastern Alberta celebrated the presentation of one of its 2026 Community Impact Awards on Wednesday, April 22, at the Gem Centre in Consort, recognizing a regional initiative focused on strengthening long-term healthcare access across rural southeastern Alberta.
The award was presented to the Consort & District Medical Centre Society for From Crisis to Capacity: Rural Healthcare Access, Education, & Workforce Pathways, a collaborative project designed to address healthcare workforce challenges across the Prairie Crocus region, including Consort, Oyen, Hanna, and surrounding rural communities in Special Areas.
Pictured (L to R): Sandy Walters, Deputy Mayor and Medical Centre Board Member, Helene Nicholson, Regional Development Coordinator at CFSEA, Amy Deagle, Rural Healthcare Consultant, Dr. Efrem Violato, Applied Research Chair in Simulation and Health at NAIT, and Michael Beier, Mayor and Chair of Consort & District Medical Centre Society.
While the cheque presentation took place in Consort, the project is intentionally regional in scope. Communities including Consort, Oyen, and Hanna will each contribute input and insight, recognizing that rural healthcare challenges, and the solutions needed to address them, can vary from place to place.
This Community Impact Award is one of two being granted by CFSEA in 2026 and represents a significant investment in rural healthcare, directly aligning with priorities identified in the Foundation’s 2025 Rural Futures report, which highlighted access to healthcare as one of the most urgent challenges facing rural communities.
“Access to healthcare is foundational to the wellbeing and long-term resilience of rural communities,” said Niki Gray, CFSEA’s Executive Director. “This project reflects the priorities identified by rural communities through our Rural Futures report and supports collaborative approaches to strengthening healthcare access.”
Rural communities across the southeast Alberta continue to face healthcare disruptions driven by staff shortages, including emergency department closures and limited service continuity. A key challenge is that many rural residents interested in healthcare careers must leave their communities to access education and training, often resulting in permanent relocation and contributing to long-term workforce gaps.
“Rural communities have spent millions trying to recruit their way out of a healthcare crisis. It hasn’t worked,” said Amy Deagle, Rural Healthcare Consultant for the Consort & District Medical Centre Society and project lead. “The answer isn’t recruiting harder. It’s growing the workforce from within the communities we’re trying to serve.”
Amy Deagle, Rural Healthcare Consultant in Special Areas, talks about the impact the grant will have on the region.
Even small increases in locally trained healthcare professionals can have a significant impact in rural settings. For example, a single nurse practitioner can provide primary care access for approximately 900 patients, illustrating how local training pathways can translate into improved, long-lasting access to care at the community level.
The From Crisis to Capacity project takes a phased, regional approach, bringing together healthcare organizations, municipal partners, and post-secondary expertise to identify local workforce needs and explore practical training solutions. The project is intentionally structured to reflect local realities, with community input helping determine which training pathways and approaches make sense in each area, recognizing that what works in Hanna may look different in Consort or Oyen.
This includes the use of simulation-based education and virtual learning technologies, delivered through project partner the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), which allow rural residents to access high-quality healthcare training without leaving their communities.
“At NAIT, we understand how essential it is to support training for healthcare professionals in rural areas, and the potential of technology to make that training accessible without requiring people to leave the communities they call home,” said Dr. Efrem Violato, Applied Research Chair in Simulation and Health at NAIT.
Project partners engage in discussion during the Community Impact Award presentation event in Consort, highlighting collaboration and community‑driven solutions for rural healthcare.
Local healthcare providers emphasized the importance of community-driven solutions.
“Local solutions to regional rural healthcare challenges are so important,” said Christie Brulhart, Nurse Practitioner in Consort. “Many people in rural communities want to work and advance their careers close to home, but family responsibilities and distance make it difficult to leave for training. This project helps bridge that gap.”
Community leaders echoed the broader impact healthcare access has on rural viability.
“Strong healthcare services are a critical pillar of community life,” said Michael Beier, Mayor of Consort and Chair of the Consort & District Medical Centre Society. “This initiative is exciting because it supports both the recruitment and long-term retention of healthcare professionals and helps rural communities build stability from within.”
“This grant funding will have a meaningful and lasting impact on our community by strengthening both access to and quality of care,” said Taryl Abt, Administrator for Special Areas No. 4.
The Community Impact Award supports initiatives that address complex regional challenges through collaboration, innovation, and long-term impact. In 2026, CFSEA is awarding one Community Impact Award in Medicine Hat and one serving the CFSEA Prairie Crocus region (Special Areas 2, 3, 4 and MD of Acadia), underscoring the Foundation’s commitment to strong, healthy communities across southeastern Alberta.
CFSEA staff, community partners, healthcare leaders, and municipal representatives gather following the presentation of a 2026 Community Impact Award to the Consort & District Medical Centre Society.