WESTLOCK - The Westlock Healthcare Centre operating room (OR) will temporarily close today, Dec. 24, at 5 p.m. until 7 a.m., Dec. 29, with Alberta Health Services citing a lack of “available trained physicians and an inability to secure locum coverage.”
And while the OR will be shuttered sporadically over the next 10 days, the 11 a.m., Dec. 24 news release from AHS notes the emergency room will remain open.
“During this time, patients requiring C-sections and emergency and urgent surgeries will be assessed on-site and transferred by EMS to another site for their surgery,” reads a Christmas-eve release from AHS spokesperson Logan Clow.
“AHS is working to ensure all patients have the support they need. This includes working closely with surrounding sites to offer additional support to Westlock patients, as needed, including the Sturgeon Community Hospital in St. Albert (68 kilometres away), Royal Alexandra Hospital (90 kilometres), and Slave Lake Healthcare Centre (164 kilometres).”
The Barrhead Health Care Centre is currently going through a shortage of its own with no on-site physician coverage from 8 a.m., Dec. 27 until 8 a.m., Dec. 28 and then again for 36 hours from 8 p.m., Dec. 28, to 8 a.m., Dec. 30.
In Westlock over the holidays, the OR will reopen for nine hours Dec. 29, then close at 4 p.m. and reopen the following morning, Dec. 30, at 7 a.m. It will remain open that day until 4 p.m., then close until the following morning, Dec. 31, at 7 a.m. Finally, from 5 p.m., Dec. 31, to 7 a.m., Jan. 3, the OR will be closed.
“Patient safety is of utmost importance and AHS apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. AHS is grateful 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,” the release from Clow concludes.
