Photo: Shaun Penner / EverythingGP staff

By Canadian Press

Bed Closures

Alberta Health Services says 98 per cent of beds open, closures no cause for alarm

Jul 23, 2021 | 2:23 PM

Alberta Health Services says the current spate of hospital bed closures is minimal, not unusual and isn’t affecting patient care.

Deb Gordon, who is the chief operating officer for AHS, says more than 98 per cent of beds in acute and emergency care are available province-wide.

Gordon says there are only two locations, Fort Vermilion and Elk Point, where emergency services have closed and forced patients to be diverted elsewhere at certain times. Emergency rooms in Fairview and McLennan have also had to temporarily close at times due to a physician not being able to provide coverage.

AHS was responding to recent reports from frontline health workers of bed and department closures at hospitals across the province.

Those reports included those brought forward by NDP leader Rachel Notley and representatives from the United Nurses fo Alberta in Grande Prairie Thursday, claiming 14 beds at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital were closed due to staffing shortages.

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READ MORE: Staffing shortages causing bed closures at QEII Hospital: Notley, UNA

Gordon says COVID-19 has proven a challenge, noting staff worked harder and longer during the pandemic and may not always be available now for summer relief as in years past.

The Opposition NDP says the closures are due to a critical shortage of frontline staff, a situation worsened by a provincial government alienating nurses by demanding wage rollbacks in the current round of negotiations.

(With files from Shaun Penner)