Consort emergency department is to remain temporarily closed

ECA Review/Submitted

The Consort Hospital and Care Centre emergency department is to remain temporarily closed until the tentative date of Wed. July 5.

According to a press release from Alberta Health Services, the closure is due to “significant shortages among nursing staff.”

While Alberta Health Services would like to see the Consort emergency department open as soon as possible, it depends on staff availability.

Patients presenting to the Consort emergency department during regular operating hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon on Fridays, will be referred to other emergency departments in the surrounding areas or local medical clinics.

A spokesperson for Alberta Health Services in an email response said, “Safety is a priority at Alberta Health Services, and we will only reopen when we have the staffing resources to do so safely.”

Closing the emergency department is a temporary measure. As Alberta Health Services continues to recruit staff, they will continue to reassess the ability to reopen sooner than July 5.

A spokesperson from Alberta Health Services said, “We continue to do everything that we can to recruit and retain. Recruiting healthcare professionals is a challenge across North

America.”

Article published on East Central Alberta Review