Drayton Valley hospital’s cancer clinic is closed, but the move is not permanent, according to Heather Kipling, the Communications Officer for the Central Zone of AHS.
The closure happened late last year due to staffing issues.
“The temporary closure was originally initiated in mid-December due to an unexpected gap in physician coverage, which has been compounded by vacancies among RNs more recently,” says Kipling.
“It’s definitely been a topic of interest in the community, for sure.”
Kipling says the reason for the closure was the loss of staff to run it. She says AHS is currently working to replace the oncologists needed.
“Not unlike some other rural areas, there are unexpected staff shortages that have impacted the ability to keep the centre open, but we’re hopeful that with successful recruitment it can be reopened in the next month or so,” she says.
The goal is to have the centre reopened in May 2022.
In the meantime, they have put together a Cancer Centre Transition Team to help move patients. She says they have been working with oncologists and patients to ensure they are being moved safely to a facility that can give them the treatment they need. Many residents are being sent to Barrhead or Edmonton for their treatments.
Kipling says that as far as she’s aware, the departure of the staff at the centre was not due to their vaccination status.
“[There was] no indication that it was related to vaccination requirements,” she says.
Replacing oncologists can be a challenge, says Kipling. However, they have been actively searching for replacements since the oncologists left.
“We know this news is less than ideal for our patients who live in the Drayton Valley area and that it can be extremely frustrating,” says Kipling. “We appreciate the community’s patience as we work through these unexpected challenges.”
