Bed closures temporary, common during summer: AHS
Alberta Health Services says some acute care beds and emergency departments are closed across the province as staff take much-deserved vacation.
After recent closures, unions representing health-care staff said doctors and nurses are exhausted from the pandemic, and the Opposition NDP worried Albertans would not receive appropriate care.
On Friday, AHS assured the public nearly 99 per cent of its 8,513 acute care beds and 1,221 emergency departments are open, and the few closures are only temporary as staff take time off.
"The short-term, temporary bed closures have limited impact on our ability to provide safe, quality patient care," said Deb Gordon, AHS' vice president chief operating officer.
Gordon went on to say bed closures are not uncommon, especially during the summer when staffing levels are "historically a little bit lower."
On average, AHS has a six per cent vacancy rate in June – a number that has slightly increased to 6.8 per cent in 2021.
"It's a challenge for us but it's not a new challenge," Gordon said. "There is, however, a new challenge this year. The impact of the pandemic on our staff and positions is new…Many of them have been doing far more than their usual hours in the past 16 months. They need and deserve a break. They're less able to work extra shifts than they would have been a year ago."
As many as 20 hospitals and health facilities have reduced service in some capacity in the past six months — most of them in rural areas. The north zone currently has the most acute care bed closures, with 89 out of 944 beds in the area not in use.
"The reality is we've seen emergency room closures that were not planned in communities across Alberta, primarily rural communities, and quite frankly, I think, the rural citizens of Alberta are tired of being gaslit by a government that's suggesting that it’s just normal for them to tolerate episodic and unreliable service in some of their community hospitals. So we know it's a real problem," NDP Leader Rachel Notley said.
When asked why staff have been more vocal about shortages this year if closures are a routine, seasonal issue, AHS president and CEO Dr. Verna Yiu also referenced the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's been a really, really rough 16+ months and everyone is very, very tired," Yiu told reporters. "Nobody's had much vacation and at the end of the day, our staff advocate because they really care about patients. We're very supportive of all that they do, we're very grateful of all that they do and it is their purview to share their views, but understanding the lens of the pandemic fatigue, which is real."
With files from Carlyle Fiset
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.