Lack of nurses keeps east-central Alberta hospital ER closed until October

The Consort Hospital and Care Centre (Source: Google Maps/2020).

After no longer accepting patients in August, the emergency department at the hospital in Consort, Alta., will remain closed until October due to "significant staffing shortages."

According to Alberta Health Services, the Consort Hospital and Care Centre's emergency was initially expected to close for one month, when staffing levels were "expected to stabilize."

In a statement earlier this week, AHS said the closure is anticipated to continue until Oct. 7, as there are not enough registered nurses to staff the facility.

"Extending this temporary closure is necessary to ensure long-term care (LTC) residents can remain at the site with appropriate staffing to meet their needs," AHS said.

"The temporary closure of the ED (emergency department) allows staffing resources to be dedicated to the LTC unit," the provincial health authority added.

"AHS will closely monitor the situation and assess the ability to resume services on a regular basis, with the intent to reopen sooner if staffing levels stabilize."

Last year, the facility had to reduce service levels for several months after also facing staff shortages.

Any patients needing emergency services during regular operating hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon on Friday will be redirected to hospitals in surrounding communities or a local medical clinic, AHS said, depending on their needs.

Paramedics will divert patients to health care facilities in the following nearby towns:

• Coronation (47 kilometres away);
• Provost (81 kilometres away); or
• Castor (85 kilometres away).

"AHS is grateful for the support of surrounding healthcare centres and medical staff, and would like to thank the community for its patience and understanding during this time," the health provider added.

Consort is a village in east-central Alberta at the intersection of Highway 12 and Highway 41, around 220 kilometres east of Red Deer or 302 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.