Alberta Health Services introduces website to address bed closures
By Southern Alberta Newspapers on August 3, 2021.
An Alberta Health Services website set up to address controversies over some rural bed closures this summer shows no disruptions in the South Zone.AHS says that across the province, all but about 2 per cent of the  8,500 acute care and 1,200 emergency room beds are currently available.
An interactive map available on the AHS website shows – as of the most recent update on July 30 – normal operation status at facilities throughout the Southeast and areas around Lethbridge, which comprise the South Zone.
The Calgary Zone, including the city and areas from Claresholm to Didsbury also shows no changed status.
Across the province there are 27 communities experiencing some sort of “temporary bed/space reduction”, including nine centres in the Central Zone, two in the Edmonton Zone and 16 in the North Zone.
The issue became a hot political topic this month when the opposition NDP charged that the closures were a sign of critical understaffing, while Health Minister Tyler Shandro said they were typical of the summer months when staff take vacation.
AHS states closures occur for a variety of reasons including vacations, construction and other factors and the agency plans accordingly.
The website can be found at https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/br/Page17594.aspx 2
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