For the fourth time in a week, the Ponoka Emergency Department is set for a temporary closure due to a gap in physician coverage.
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UPDATE: Sunday, June 16: AHS says the gap scheduled for Sunday night into Monday has been filled.
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Another one announced earlier this week was averted before it could actually happen after a doctor was found.
The latest closure will occur from 5 p.m. on June 16 until 8 a.m. on June 17. During this temporary closure, nursing staff will remain on-site in the emergency room to provide triage and assessments to patients who present to the department. Patients will be referred to alternative care options depending on their condition.
Ponoka Mayor Kevin Ferguson, however, is offering reassurance to the community, calling this past week an, “anomaly.”
“We have had a long road to secure getting things in a better position here in Ponoka. We’ve done that by adding four new doctors,” he says. “I do need to figure out what’s happened this past week, but I will say this: we’re not even close to the issue we had about a year ago. One never knows in terms of what can transpire — it could just be an illness.”
Ferguson reiterates he’s not yet overly concerned, despite the recent rash of closures.
He says closures have been few and far between over the last several months due to the new hires coming on.
“I have to commend all parties involved who’ve helped us get to a better place — there’s still work to do, but we’re in a far better place,” he says, noting work of the Ministry of Health, and Alberta Health Services, and that to his knowledge, recruitment efforts are always ongoing.
“You should always be on the hunt for physicians, especially in a rural community. It’s a whole lot tougher to get medical personnel into the rural communities than it is the big cities,” he says.
“They’ve got larger hospitals, state-of-the-art equipment, prestige positions and so on, so to convince them to come to a quaint little town from a bigger place can be challenging sometimes with the advantages an urban centre has.”
As for any message he has for the province right now, Ferguson says he and other mayors have lobbied hard to the health ministry.
Though Minister Adriana LaGrange came through and the rural mayors are grateful, he says, Ferguson hopes the work does in fact continue because of the importance of getting health care to a sustainable spot over the next decade or two.
“I’m thankful for the attention we’ve received so far and the progress we’ve made,” he says.
“For residents, I hope they’re noticing the difference in the quality of health care here. My message to them is also that we won’t stop striving to get things as close to perfect as we can. We’re not in the position we were a year ago and that’s a good thing.”
As for the scheduled closure on Sunday and Monday, AHS says EMS will transport patients requiring emergency care to nearby facilities, including Lacombe Hospital and Care Centre, Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre or the Wetaskiwin Hospital and Care Centre.
Other care services at the Ponoka Hospital and Care Centre are not impacted by this temporary closure, they add.
“AHS and local medical staff recognize that temporary closures are concerning to the community and continue to collaborate to secure additional supports through ongoing recruitment efforts for example,” AHS says in a release.
“AHS is grateful for the support of staff and physicians who work to minimize temporary disruptions as much as possible. Additionally AHS appreciates the support of surrounding health care centres, and would like to thank the community for its patience and understanding during this time.”
Efforts to secure alternative locum coverage remain ongoing, says AHS. In the event coverage is secured, the ED will reopen earlier and the community will be informed.
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READ MORE: Year-in-review: Ponoka mayor believes town is, “where it’s at”
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