Community Update on Big Country Hospital

The following is an update provided by AHS Community Engagement . If you want to connect with them, here is the email: Community.Engagement@ahs.ca.

Good day,

As promised at the January 12 community conversation regarding the temporary closure of the Big Country Hospital in Oyen, we would like to provide the community with this update.

While the temporary closure is still in place, positive progress has been made.

Recruitment

We are very pleased to share that Shelaine Woods has accepted the position for the Site Manager, Oyen Health Centre – Big Country Hospital, effective February 27, 2023. Shelaine is a Registered Nurse who has worked at the Big Country Hospital for nearly 20 years. She is rural practitioner who brings a strong vision for quality healthcare and a family-centred approach.
Our recruitment efforts for the Oyen Big County Hospital are ongoing. AHS continues to actively seek Registered Nurses (RNs), Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs), and a Healthcare Aide (HCA) for the Oyen Big County Hospital. You can find the postings here.

While we are working to fill the outstanding roles, we have extended the agency nurse contracts to bridge the gap. An additional two agency RNs will be joining the team starting on March 21 and April 1.

EMS/Physician On-Call

Our current interim approach to patient transport to Oyen hospital ED (between the hours of 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.) involving the EMS staff and local Oyen physicians has been working smoothly. We greatly appreciate local physicians support, and the dedication of our EMS paramedics.

Housing

One of the concerns that was raised by the community was the lack of housing for staff. AHS has been working with the Acadia Foundation Seniors Housing to develop two suites for out-of-town staff. We would also like to acknowledge that the Special Areas, MD of Acadia #34 and the Town of Oyen have generously provided funding for the furnishings. We are very grateful for these partnerships and are happy to report that those suites are currently housing agency nurses.

Relationship with the community

Since our session, AHS has been meeting biweekly with municipal leaders. We continue to work diligently with community leaders to secure the staffing needed to fully reopen the emergency department and acute care beds as soon as possible, and to have them remain open for many years to come. Our thanks to municipal leaders from the Town of Oyen, the Special Areas and the MD of Acadia #34 for their partnership and continued support.
Thank you again for your continued commitment to healthcare. As always, please feel free to connect with us at any time via email at Community.Engagement@ahs.ca.

Sincerely,
Sent by Community Engagement on behalf of:
Linda Iwasiw  Chief Zone Officer, South Zone  Dr. Aaron Low
Zone Medical Director, South Zone