BOYLE — The Boyle Healthcare Centre continues to operate at reduced hours, despite indications earlier in the year that it would be back to normal operations by early summer.
The hospital has been operating on reduced hours since July 1, 2022 as a result of ongoing nursing staff vacancies and occasional physician shortages.
At different times, Alberta Health Services (AHS) has announced the reduction in hours would come to an end, only to extend that deadline further when vacancies persisted.
According to a statement received on June 14 from AHS, the hospital continues to be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and close overnight.
“This allows existing staff to provide consistent service each day during the times when the majority of emergency department and outpatient visits occur,” the statement reads, adding that in-patient admissions are still paused as of this time.
It notes that AHS is working closely with surrounding healthcare sites to offer additional support to Boyle patients as needed, and the community continues to have 24/7 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) coverage, with transports being re-routed to other local facilities.
Health Link (811) is also available 24/7 for non-emergency health-related inquiries.
The statement notes that AHS working on introducing Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs) to the facility. Once recruited, these nurses require several weeks of mentorship and orientation before they can practice independently.
“We remain committed to recruitment efforts for the community of Boyle. Once staffing is secured, we will work towards re-opening in-patient beds and returning to 24/7 emergency department service,” the statement reads.
“The Boyle Healthcare Centre is an important facility that provides quality care and AHS wants it to be operating safely at full capacity as soon as possible ... We will continue to keep the community updated as more information becomes available.”
In February, AHS officials hosted a packed meeting attended by close to 350 Boyle residents where they assured the community there were no plans to close the facility.
At the time, they indicated Boyle was missing the equivalent of three full-time nurses, though they had a couple more lined up through a program that does international recruitment.
