Rural Alta. community nearing 100 days without overnight emergency service
The emergency department at a health-care centre north of Edmonton has not been open overnight since July.
"High vacancies among nursing staff and an inability to secure sufficient temporary coverage" was the reason cited by Alberta Health Services when it initially announced the service disruption at the Boyle Healthcare Centre on June 30.
At the time, it was expected the facility would be open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily until August.
But AHS extended the new schedule three more times, including on Sept. 29.
Now, the community 150 kilometres north of Alberta's capital city will not have overnight emergency service until at least Oct. 31.
"This will allow existing staff to provide consistent service each day, during the times when the majority of emergency department and outpatient visits occur. Inpatient admissions will be paused," AHS said in the Thursday notice.
As of Monday, Boyle's emergency department had been closed overnight for 94 days. If it opens overnight on Nov. 1, it will be the first time in 122 days.
AHS said patient safety and care are its highest priorities.
"The organization is working hard to ensure everyone will receive the care they need through its partnership with EMS and a robust regional network of healthcare centres."
Boyle has a population of about 780, according to the Alberta Regional Dashboard.
Seeing staff shortages in dozens of communities across the province, the Alberta government has launched several initiatives to recruit new workers and incentivize some to work in remote areas, such as the Alberta Rural Health Professions Action Plan, the Rural Education Supplement and Integrated Doctor Experience (RESIDE) program, and a campaign to draw skilled workers from other provinces.
- Project meant to draw physicians to rural Alta. has made 1 successful placement: government
- Alberta premier slams GTA home prices, cost of living in campaign to draw workers west
Monday morning, an AHS website listing health-care facility service disruptions and closures showed 29 impacted sites.
The AHS job board featured postings for home care, operating room, and travel nurses across Alberta.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Kyra Markov
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.