'We need action immediately': Red Deer leaders were pleading for help years before triaged ER patient's death

While people in Red Deer, Alta., mourn the loss of a triaged patient who died Sunday while awaiting care inside a hospital, some leaders in that community are making it known its health-care problems are not new.

"This is something that really transcends politics. You know, the death of a person that is trying to access basic medical services," said a sombre Mayor Ken Johnston.

Johnston offered condolences to the patient's family, and to local health-care workers who he believes are doing their best in "substandard" working conditions.

The mayor pointed out people in Red Deer have been sounding the alarm on health-care capacity for about 10 years, through PC, NDP and UCP governments.

"This part of Alberta is short on funding and short on infrastructure and we're just looking for what we think is equity, fairness," Johnston said. "If that message isn't ringing loud and clear this morning, I don't know what message would be clearly."

Wait times at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre peaked at 14 hours last weekend.

Alberta Health Services claims the hospital was fully staffed and an investigation is underway to determine if a long wait contributed to Sunday's death.

AHS acknowledged wait times were long due to a surge in demand and an increase in "very sick patients."

"I'm taking this matter very seriously, I've asked AHS for a report and they're looking into it," Health Minister Jason Copping said Monday while acknowledging an "infrastructure deficit" in central Alberta.

'I CAN'T TELL YOU ANYTHING FURTHER'

But according to a surgeon who works in that hospital, long wait times are nothing new.

Dr. Keith Wolstenholme told CTV News that RDRHC almost always runs at near or over 100 per cent capacity due to a shortage of beds.

"A patient that has been seen, assessed, needs to get to a bed...but there's no available bed. So they're occupying an emerg stretcher and that means somebody in the waiting room can't come to that emerg stretcher because there's already somebody in it," Wolstenholme explained.

"We had a big problem before and it's not gotten any better. It's probably gotten worse."

In 2015, an assessment by AHS found that the hospital was short 96 beds and 18 emergency room stretchers. Seven years later, no additional beds have been added.

Alberta has allocated $59 million for a hospital expansion, but that is less than the $100 million that was originally promised.

Copping was asked for an update on that Monday, but he said he couldn't provide specifics.

"We fully understand the need for increased infrastructure within the central zone. Work is being done on that, but I can't tell you anything further," he said.

That lack of information, and a continuing rush of COVID-19 patients across Alberta, has Red Deer doctors and its mayor with more questions than answers about what to do right now.

"Central Alberta and Red Deer can't wait any longer for this. We need action and we need action immediately," argued Dr. Kym Jim with the Society For Hospital Expansion in Central Alberta.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nav Sangha