Summer vacations causing rural Alberta bed and ER closures, health minister says

Health Minister Tyler Shandro is blaming summer vacations for staff shortages that have forced the closure of rural Alberta hospital beds and reduced emergency department coverage over the next few months. 

Alberta Health Services has announced bed closures in Edson, Alta., and St. Paul, Alta., as well as temporary closures of emergency departments in Boyle, Elk Point, Rocky Mountain House and Fairview.

Edmonton-City Centre MLA David Shepherd, the NDP critic for health, said the blame lies with the ongoing feud between the UCP government and the Alberta Medical Association, which has prompted some physicians to leave Alberta. 

Shepherd also blamed the government's reluctance to impose COVID-19 public health restrictions for overtaxing the health-care system, prompting the diversion of health-care staff away from rural areas. 

"Part of the staffing pressure is absolutely due to this government's failure to contain the third wave of COVID-19," Shepherd said at a news conference before Tuesday's question period. 

"Jason Kenney and Tyler Shandro continually acted last and acted least in Alberta, ended up with the highest rate of infection anywhere in Canada or the United States, and now rural families are paying the price for their incompetence," he said.

Shandro did not make himself available to take questions from the media on Tuesday.

However, during question period Shandro noted that rural areas saw facility service cuts and physician shortages when the NDP was in government and said that staffing is always a challenge this time of year. 

"They know that it's more difficult in the summer months when people take vacation," Shandro said, responding to criticism levelled by the NDP.

"They know that the pandemic has made it much more difficult for staffing to occur and especially finding locum coverage for smaller sites."

On June 2, AHS said that six of its 25 acute care beds at the health centre in Edson, Alta., will be closed from June 7 to Sept. 1. Two days later, AHS sent a memo informing stakeholders that 10 of 30 acute care beds in St. Paul, Alta., and five of 12 beds at the health-care centre in Elk Point, Alta., would be closed until Aug. 31.

As well, the emergency department in Elk Point won't have physician coverage on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

Recently, 18 seniors at a continuing care home Galahad, a hamlet located about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton,  were moved to facilities in other communities. AHS said the service cuts are due to a shortage of physicians and nurses.

The hospital in Westlock, Alta., stopped performing C-sections until July 12 due to a physician taking a medical leave. Patients requiring a C-section will be sent either to Barrhead, 40 kilometres to the west, or to the Sturgeon Community Hospital in St. Albert, 68 kilometres south.