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Swan Hills hospital operating at reduced hours until July 9

Lack of nursing staff, temporary staff to fill in is forcing closure of facility from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. each day
Swan Hills Healthcare Centre (VM)
The Swan Hills Healthcare Centre began operating at reduced hours on June 9 and will continue to do so until July 9.

SWAN HILLS — The Swan Hills Healthcare Centre will only be open during daylight hours for the next month due to a lack of registered nursing staff. 

According to a news release from Alberta Health Services (AHS), the Swan Hills Healthcare Centre will only be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day until Saturday, July 9. 

The release states that this overnight closure will allow existing staff to provide consistent service during the 12 hours of each day when the majority of emergency department and outpatient visits occur. 

In-patient admissions will also be paused, with the exception of two designated supportive living beds that can be made available if staffing is supplied to support them. 

“This decision was not easy, but it will allow us to provide ongoing daily care without creating burnout among our dedicated healthcare professionals,” said Stacy Greening, chief zone officer within the AHS North Zone. 

The release acknowledges that recruiting nurses is a challenge throughout North America and can be particularly difficult outside urban centres, especially in relatively isolated rural communities like Swan Hills. 

However, AHS will continue to work on recruiting staff and trying to provide locum (ie. temporary) coverage in order to return to normal operating hours at Swan Hills. 

“Ensuring patients have the care they need at their local facility is of utmost importance to us and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause,” Greening said.

The Swan Hills Healthcare Centre has had other issues with providing coverage in the past few months, including an overnight closure of the emergency department that occurred on May 7-8.

Kevin Berger, TownandCountryToday.com

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