ST. PAUL – Surgery and obstetrics remain unavailable at the St. Therese – St. Paul Healthcare Centre until Oct. 19. Information from the Alberta Health Services (AHS) states there is a temporary shortage of staff and anesthetists due to illness, leave, vacation, or vacancies.
Approximately 14 surgeries were re-scheduled due to the disruption, and impacted patients were notified and re-scheduled, according to Logan Clow, senior communications advisor with AHS, in a Sept. 22 statement to Lakeland This Week.
“We are working to ensure all expecting mothers have the support they need, including having a plan in place for where they will safely deliver their babies. This includes working closely with surrounding healthcare sites to offer additional support to St. Paul patients, as needed,” said Clow.
These surrounding healthcare sites include Bonnyville Healthcare Centre and Cold Lake Healthcare Centre.
Despite the disruption, AHS still encourages maternity patients to go to the St. Paul Hospital for assessment by their obstetric physicians. Patients will work with their physicians to develop an appropriate plan for care, according to Clow.
“Patient safety is of utmost important to us, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. We only make these decisions when absolutely necessary,” said Clow.
Town of St. Paul Mayor Maureen Miller said, “It’s disappointing, obviously,” but noted she also understood the issues plaguing the healthcare system not only in the province, but in the country. And while health falls under the purview of the provincial government, Miller said municipalities like the Town also have a role to play with regard to supporting the province.
This includes raising awareness to the provincial government regarding challenges related to health in the area, as well as supporting initiatives like the bridging nursing program at Portage College’s St. Paul campus.
The Town is also helping with recruitment efforts, said Miller, with results including the successful approval of international nursing graduates to come to the hospital. "Our goal is to attract, [and] retain positions that AHS have identified and has worked with us to fill," said Miller.
Miller also asked for compassion for the staff at the hospital, adding that with the expected construction of the renovation at the hospital beginning this fall, and with St. Paul among the last few zones to implement AHS’s new provincial Clinical Information System (CIS), there are many things the staff need to get used to.
Addressing recruitment challenges
AHS also continues to aggressively recruit healthcare professionals in rural areas, including St. Paul, according to Clow, adding recruitment challenges is a nationwide issue, especially with physicians outside main urban centres.
AHS has a dedicated team focused on recruitment efforts in Alberta, said Clow. This includes enhanced marketing efforts to expand recruitment efforts, pursuing Canadian and internationally-trained physicians, and exploring options to improve international sponsorship program.
Clow noted the AHS is also collaborating with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta to speed up the assessment and licensing of international medical graduates.
Part-time positions that would offer more “flexibility for physicians” are also being posted. Meanwhile, there are incentives for full-time positions.
AHS is also reassessing “the current locum experience and easing administrative burdens for locus,” according to Clow. A locum is a physician that temporarily fills a position at a hospital.
In addition, Clow said AHS is also consulting with post-graduate medical education programs to “enable work experience in non-urban facilities and increase the number of training positions,” and they are partnering with the Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP) with supporting healthcare professionals new to rural communities.
Speaking of rural health care, AHS also created a page focused on rural care at the AHS career website, said Clow. For more information, visit: careers.albertahealthservices.ca/moreinfo/rural
To supplement these recruiting efforts across rural Alberta, AHS also implemented short-term strategies, including sourcing critical positions through direct contact on job and talent websites, a targeted rural campaign, collaborating with RhPAP with attraction and retention strategies for specific communities and occupations, and implementing student initiatives for spring graduates and undergraduates.
