September 18, 2023
Reopened this morning on reduced hours with operation to expand in future
HARDISTY – Local residents can once again access emergency healthcare services at the Hardisty Health Centre.
With the arrival of newly recruited staff, and more arriving in the coming weeks, resources are in place to support reopening the emergency department (ED). The ED reopened today at 7 a.m. and will operate Monday to Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., with expanded hours to be added over time as staffing allows.
“I’m glad to see that after three years of engagement and efforts, Alberta Health Services has been successful in attracting the necessary talent to reopen the Hardisty emergency department,” says Camrose MLA Jackie Lovely. “I’m hopeful we can continue to attract healthcare workers to the community to ensure the hospital remains fully functioning and serving the community to its full potential for years to come.”
The ED was initially closed in April 2020 as part of pandemic capacity planning in anticipation of rising COVID-19 cases. Temporarily closing the ED and utilizing the site’s four acute care spaces to care for continuing care patients helped create acute care capacity in higher-acuity sites, while also helping protect vulnerable seniors from COVID-19 exposures.
Since that time, recruiting appropriate numbers of nursing staff – including registered nurses (RN) and licensed practical nurses – needed to support all site services has been a challenge. Available RN staffing was dedicated to long-term care to avoid having to relocate residents while recruitment continued to support the ED returning to service.
“AHS has remained committed to reopening the emergency department from the beginning, and we are very grateful for the patience of our care teams, the community and our partners while we worked to make this happen,” says Janice Stewart, Chief Zone Officer for AHS Central Zone. “Our teams have worked diligently to recruit several new staff to support the Hardisty Health Centre whom the community is helping to welcome with open arms. We appreciate the dedication of our staff in Hardisty, as well as the patience and understanding of them and the community, as we worked towards reopening the emergency department.”
In addition to the staffing already secured, internationally educated nurses will also be integrated into the site’s care team in the coming weeks. Additionally, AHS medical leadership is working with area physicians and rural locum physicians to establish a physician pool that will help provide weekend coverage as part of the plan to restore full ED services to seven days a week.
“It is thrilling news for the community,” says local physician Dr. Isidore Ivare. “It has been a long wait but I’m grateful the emergency department is reopening. I commend the community leaders and other stakeholders in Hardisty for their tireless efforts at advocating for our reopening, and our local AHS leadership for following through on their promise to reopen our ED.”
Mayor Wayne Jackson agrees.
“The hospital is a pillar in our community and, on behalf of council, I want to express my gratitude for the hard work and effort that went into getting the emergency department reopened,” says Jackson. “Having access to emergency care right here in the community is important for not only those of us who call Hardisty home but for our industry neighbours who operate in the area.
“We have great healthcare professionals here and I look forward to the emergency department hours expanding as soon as possible.”
AHS will continue with several talent attraction strategies in Hardisty, including utilizing a rural talent pipeline supported with a candidate management system, local community spotlights, outreach to post-secondary partners, and working with community committees — such as the Rural Health Professions Action Plan and the Flagstaff Community Health Services Working Group — to attract and keep staff.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Our mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans. Our current focus is on reducing emergency department wait-times, improving EMS response times, increasing access to surgeries, and improving patient flow.
