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Bed closures continue in the Lakeland

Lac La Biche is the more recent community to experience a temporary reduction in beds at its local hospital due to staff shortages. Ten beds have been closed at the St. Paul hospital for nearly a year now.
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LAKELAND - While the temporary closure of five acute care beds at the William J. Cadzow (Lac La Biche) Healthcare Centre is a relatively newer obstacle in the region, a continued temporary closure of 10 beds at the St. Therese-St. Paul Healthcare Centre is proving to be a long-term situation. 

Nearing one year since the beds were temporarily closed in St. Paul, the reason is due to nursing staff vacancies, according to Alberta Health Services (AHS).

"The hospital is near 100 per cent occupancy with the closures, but the staff are working hard to accommodate patients who need admission and minimize the need to divert patients to other sites. Though this closure has been ongoing, it is temporary," affirms a statement received from AHS on May 10. "There are no plans to permanently close these beds." 

AHS says it continues to work to fill staffing shortages in St. Paul, and the bed closure will conclude "once coverage has been secured."

"AHS plans and prepares for any bed reductions to ensure there is minimal impact on patients, staff, and physicians," said Gayleen Froese, an AHS spokesperson, via email with Lakeland This Week.

The closure of five beds in Lac La Biche is expected to be "minimal" since occupancy rates in 2022 were below 70 per cent each month of the year, so far.

There have also been temporary surgical and obstetrics interruptions in Lac La Biche, stemming from a lack of anesthesiologist coverage, but that ended on May 7.

In St. Paul, obstetric services have also been at risk of interruptions, due to a shortage of nursing staff. 

"Alberta Health Services manages local service disruptions, in part, through a strong regional network in which nearby facilities support each other in providing patient care as needed," according to Froese. 

When asked what AHS is doing to improve the situation, it was noted that there is a dedicated team in place focused on finding and implementing solutions to support recruitment. Some of the efforts include "Aggressively pursuing both Canadian and internationally-trained physicians."

AHS is also posting part-time positions in order to offer flexibility to staff and physicians, while also providing incentives for full-time activity, and reviewing retirement and succession plans. 

"Exploring alternate models for care," and "Enhancing recruitment efforts through enhanced marketing efforts," were also listed as some of the ways AHS is looking to solve the staff shortage issues.


Janice Huser

About the Author: Janice Huser

Janice Huser has been with the St. Paul Journal since 2006. She is a graduate of the SAIT print media journalism program, is originally from St. Paul and has a passion for photography.
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