Coaldale Community Wellness Association gifts $300K to Bringing Hearts Home campaign

Posted on June 4, 2026 by Sunny South News

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Southern Alberta Newspapers

The Coaldale Community Wellness Association gifted the Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation $300,000 in support of the Bringing Hearts Home campaign. The gift was unveiled on May 27 in Coaldale at Civic Square.

The Bringing Hearts Home campaign is raising $30 million to support advanced cardiac care infrastructure, technology, patient-centered spaces, and enhanced cardiac services at Chinook Regional Hospital and Medicine Hat Regional Hospital.

Board of directors of the CRH Foundation chair, Amber Darroch this gift from the Coaldale Community Wellness Association is very significant because it is from a community organization. 

“The donations we’ve garnered have sent a message to our government that this matters to southern Albertans. This is a financial gift, as well as a social and political statement to note what’s important down here to us Southern Albertans,” said Darroch. 

She said even though the cardiac centre will be in Lethbridge, it is a regional project, and that is why it means so much to receive support from other communities that will also benefit from having cardiac care closer to home.

The latest gift continues a growing wave of regional support across southern Alberta, following recent leadership investments and community engagement efforts in communities such as Picture Butte and Taber.

Darroch mentioned that being able to offer cardiac care closer to home, it creates a ripple effect not only within the hospital but also within the region. 

“A cardiac patient moving into a cardiac bed or into ICU because there’s more space, frees up a bed behind them for that person down in emergency waiting for a space,” said Darroch.  “Not having to sit and wait in a Lethbridge hospital room to transfer to Calgary, also freed the space that keeps someone else who needs that hospital bed from getting access.”

She said the ripple effect across the region is felt in the fact that people travel across southern Alberta for cardiac care and now they won’t have to travel to Calgary, also freeing up space there for people from other parts of the province.

Director of the Coaldale Wellness Association, Colleen Van Raalte said after seeing a presentation on the cardiac centre, where they asked for funding, they decided to donate as much as they were able. 

“We were looking to donate as much as we possibly could for something like this given our history,” said Van Raalte.

For decades, the Coaldale Community Wellness Association has supported initiatives that strengthen health, recreation, wellness, and quality of life for residents of Coaldale and surrounding area. 

Through community partnerships and strategic investments, the organization has played an important role in enhancing local wellness opportunities and supporting projects that bring lasting impact to families and communities.

“It’s (cardiac centre) very important for the area because Lethbridge is the hub for southern Alberta,” said Van Raalte. 

She said they are aware of the need for doctors, nurses and care facilities in different areas and small rural communities, but it doesn’t make sense for everyone to have a high-tech product or service available to them.

“So, it does make sense for Lethbridge to be that hub. And it’s great because not only now it’s closer to home, but it’s also Lethbridge… it used to be to Calgary,” said Van Raalte. “In those critical moments, two and half hours is a very long time, not only for the patients, but for the family as well who are dealing in a crisis situation.”