BOYLE – A new year will bring another extension to the “temporary” hours that have plagued the Boyle Healthcare Centre since mid-2022.
Alberta Health Services notified community stakeholders of the extension in a letter Dec. 29, confirming the hospital will continue to be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. but will close for the night thereafter, as it has been since July.
“Alberta Health Services (AHS) is extending the change to hours of service at Boyle Healthcare Centre, due to high vacancies among nursing staff and an inability to secure sufficient temporary coverage,” read the letter. “Until January 31, 2023, the Boyle Healthcare Centre will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and closed overnight, from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. This will allow existing staff to provide consistent service each day, during the times when over 85 per cent of emergency department and outpatient visits occur.”
Inpatient admissions are also not possible without night coverage and will remain paused as a result.
It’s a situation Boyle mayor Colin Derko has been inundated with for much of the year, so it’s not surprising the scenario remains the same going into the new year. He’s been bending the ears of anyone who will listen and said he recently spoke to a healthcare worker in the city who noted the influx of rural patients seeking care there, is affecting the number of beds available in those locations.
And it doesn’t make sense, he said in a recent year end interview.
“We’ve got empty beds in Boyle, but they’re turning people from Athabasca and Lac La Biche and Smoky Lake away. It’s not that the hospital is not needed. It’s needed, and it’s needed in a big way. We actually need more hospitals,” Derko said. “My concern isn’t with AHS or the province trying to shut the Boyle hospital down, we need to look after the reason it’s in trouble, or it will just happen naturally, I fear … My biggest concern and the reason I lose sleep at night is this hospital.”
The AHS letter goes on to note signage will be placed at the front door and that EMS will be re-routed to Athabasca, Smoky Lake and Lac La Biche as needed.
“This is a temporary measure and AHS is working hard to ensure local residents continue to have access to the care they need during this time.
“We are thankful for the support of surrounding healthcare centres and medical staff and would like to thank the community for their patience and understanding during this time. AHS continues to aggressively recruit healthcare professionals for rural areas. AHS has several initiatives underway to help support recruitment efforts including northern incentive programs as well as working closely with practicing professionals and the community.”
