Hospital debate
Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor
After decades of empty promises, local officials were once again left crestfallen with the NDP’s recent response regarding one of Strathmore’s perennial issues. Following a letter from Deputy Minister of Health Janet Davidson, announcing yet another study into the situation surrounding the expansion of the Strathmore Hospital, town council turned to Strathmore-Brooks MLA Derek Fildebrandt to bring the pressing matter back to the legislature’s forefront.
However, after raising the concerns with Minister of Health Sarah Hoffman on June 26, the topic, for now, continues to be shelved.
“I discussed this at length in my maiden speech and I asked about it repeatedly in question period with the health minister, and the answer has been stay tuned; which has been the answer for a lot of different things,” said Fildebrandt. “Getting a hospital in Strathmore is not a part of an issue, it’s an issue of the government following through on a very long-standing commitment. We appreciate that they’re still getting a grasp on their files and they’re not necessarily briefed on a lot of these things. It’s my role to keep the pressure up on it and put it back on the agenda.”
Despite ranking as one of the busiest rural hospitals in Alberta, the Strathmore facility hasn’t received any of the promised upgrades or expansions since it’s construction in the mid 1980s.
A year ago, local officials and surrounding area representatives met in Strathmore to discuss the issues with then Minister of Infrastructure Wayne Drysdale. While the sit-down gathering served as an informational and fact-finding meeting, those in attendance were presented with two options – a long-term and a short-term solution. While a major capital project would’ve cost upwards of $85 million, an interim project was proposed to relieve some of the pressures. By housing diagnostic imaging, pharmacy, laboratory, and home care in the currently vacant hospital wing, more space would be freed up for the emergency department with a cost of $2 million. While Strathmore was hopeful that the issue would rank in the Top 15 of priorities this year, the creation of Alberta’s new NDP government meant further delays.
“I look forward to having an opportunity to work collaboratively with the minister of infrastructure and our cabinet to bring forward a sunshine list to really reflect a list of needs of Albertans,” said Minister of Health Sarah Hoffman. “In the fall, we expect that we will be able to do that and we’ll be able to have a dialogue with all members of this house. In the interim I encourage members, at any time, to send correspondence of questions or concerns that they have to me, and we will do our best to get back to them in a timely way.”
However, frustrations are still growing among local politicians who are aware of the issues close to home and feel more studies are unnecessary. With demand at the hospital continuing to increase, some are worried about keeping current doctors employed.
“To be quite honest, I feel this is a stalling technique and once again we’re being asked to wait,” said Councillor Bob Sobol. “Our situation at the hospital is not getting any better, it’s getting worse. I’m very aware of the fact that the doctors are frustrated up there with the lack of facilities. It’s a situation that is becoming fairly dire. These people are very dedicated individuals and I just feel it’s unfair to have them working in these conditions. We haven’t been playing this game for 10 years, we’ve been playing this game for 25 to 30 years.”
According to Sobol, patients are regularly transferred to other hospitals due to a lack of beds. He said as many as a dozen patients are being transferred out of the hospital within a 72-hour period.
Although Strathmore won’t see upgrades to the hospital in the near future, Fildebrandt said the issue is his number one priority and he will continue to speak about it in the house. He is also arranging for key stakeholders within the community to meet with the minister, once the legislature is back in session.