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Kicking off The Community 100 Years of Lougheed Fair
Press 115 Years of Telling YOUR Story
Volume 116 Issue 12
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Sketch released after attempted child abduction P6
Wednesday, September 20, 2023 s
Hardisty Emergency Room re-opens after three years of closure
Hardisty Health Centre’s Emergency Department has reopened after being closure for over three years. AHS reports that the ED will operate from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for right now, and a plan to increase staffing to allow it to return to 24-hour services is in place.
Leslie Cholowsky Editor
Alberta Health Services (AHS) announced on Monday, Sept. 18, that the Hardisty Emergency Department will be reopening after more than three years of temporary closure. “With the arrival of newly recruited staff, and more arriving in the coming weeks, resources are in place to support reopening the emergency department.” Emergency Department services resumed in Hardisty Monday at 7 a.m. and will operate Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. AHS says expanded hours are to be added over time as staffing allows. Camrose MLA Jackie Lovely says, “I’m glad to see that after three years of engagement and efforts, Alberta Health Services has been successful in attracting the necessary talent to reopen the Hardisty emergency department. “I’m hopeful we can continue to attract healthcare workers to the community to ensure the hospital remains fully functioning and serving the community to its full potential for years to come.” Originally closed in April 2020 as part of pandemic capacity planning, AHS says that closure of the ED and utilizing Hardisty’s four acute care spaces to care for continuing care patients helped create acute care capacity in higher-acuity sites, while also helping protect vulnerable seniors from
COVID-19 exposure. AHS says, “Since that time, recruiting appropriate numbers of nursing staff - including registered nurses (RN) and licensed practical nurses – needed to support all site services has been a challenge. Available RN staffing was dedicated to long-term care to avoid having to relocate residents while recruitment continued to support the ED returning to service.” Chief Zone Officer for AHS Central Zone Janice Stewart says, “AHS has remained committed to reopening the emergency department from the beginning, and we are very grateful for the patience of our care teams, the community and our partners while we worked to make this happen. “Our teams have worked diligently to recruit several new staff to support the Hardisty Health Centre whom the community is helping to welcome with open arms. “We appreciate the dedication of our staff in Hardisty, as well as the patience and understanding of them and the community, as we worked towards reopening the emergency department.” AHS says in along with new staff members already in place, internationally educated nurses will also be working with the site’s care team in the coming weeks. “Additionally, AHS leadership is working with area physicians and rural locum physicians to establish a physician pool that will help provide weekend
coverage as part of the plan to restore full ED services.” Hardisty physician Dr. Isidore Ivare says, “It is thrilling news for the community. It has been a long wait but I’m grateful the emergency department is reopening. “I commend the community leaders and other stakeholders in Hardisty for their tireless efforts at advocating for our reopening, and our local AHS leadership for following through on their promise to reopen our ED.” Hardisty Mayor Wayne Jackson says, “The hospital is a pillar in our community and, on behalf of Council, I want to express my gratitude for the hard work and effort that went into getting the emergency department reopened. “Having access to emergency care right here in the community is important for not only those of us who call Hardisty home but for our industry neighbours who operate in the area. “We have great healthcare professionals here and I look forward to the emergency department hours expanding as soon as possible.” AHS says it will continue to recruit using a number of different strategies, including working with community committees like the Flagstaff Community Health Services Working Group to attract and keep staff in Hardisty and the Rural Health Professionals Action Plan (RhPAP) along with other stakeholders.