Service at Lac La Biche's W. J. Cadzow hospital continues to be affected by a lack of physicians in the community.
More service disruptions in the hospital's emergency department will take place at the beginning and end of the coming week, say officials with Alberta Health Services.
On Friday afternoon, AHS representatives released the latest in a series of advisories about service disruptions, saying that due to the inability to secure physician coverage, the hospital's emergency department will be temporarily without on-site physician coverage overnight from 4 pm Monday January 8 to 8 am January 9. Further disruptions to service will take place at the beginning of the following weekend, starting Thursday, January 11 until 8 am. Saturday, January 13.
"Nursing staff will remain on-site in the emergency department providing triage, assessments, and referrals for patients to alternate emergency departments in surrounding communities, as needed," stated AHS spokesperson Diana Rinne. "Patients are asked to call 911 if they have a medical emergency. EMS will remain available to the community and will be re-routed to surrounding healthcare centres."
Residents are also reminded to call Health Link at 811, which is available 24/7 for non-emergency health-related questions.
If coverage is found, disruptions may be cancelled, says Rinne, calling the recurring measure a temporary provision as AHS is working to ensure local residents continue to have access to the health care they need.
Physicians needed
The recent announcement is the latest in a series of disruptions that began occurring on a regular basis about two years ago. Healthcare centres across the region and much of rural Alberta have been affected with similar disruptions in recent years as challenges continue for many communities to find rural physicians.
Across parts of the Lakeland region, community leaders have banded together to provide a healthcare partnership, sharing resources with other communities when service disruptions occur. Just prior to the start of the holiday season, a similar service disruption was announced over several days at Lac La Biche and Boyle healthcare centres.
The Lac La Biche community does have a recruitment and retention committee made up of elected officials, business owners and medical professionals. In the last year, two new physicians have began their practice in the Lac La Biche community, bringing the total number of physicians to six. Although that is less than half of what Lac La Biche County Mayor Paul Reutov has said is the required amount, he hopes the new year will bring more healthcare professionals to the region.
Provincially, AHS is also actively pursuing more physicians for rural Alberta, offering funding and incentives for new doctors in rural communities. Rinne says the patience of community members is appreciated as the process continues.
"We are 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," she said.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Our mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans. According to the AHS website, the current focus of the agency is on reducing emergency department wait-times, improving EMS response times, increasing access to surgeries, and improving patient flow.
