Alberta Health Services says it’s expanding operating room hours at the Leduc Community Hospital in an effort to increase surgical capacity at the hospital.
AHS said it has been able to increase the number of nurses and operation rooms will be available Monday to Friday starting this month. AHS said the increased capacity translate into a 17 per cent increase, or approximately 400 more surgeries each year.
“With greater surgical capacity, we’re empowering health-care workers to improve wait times and address the surgical backlog, ensuring people can access health care when and where they need it,” said Heather Durstling, executive director of AHS’s Edmonton zone suburban hospitals.
Leduc Community Hospital provides pre- and post-operative care to patients having minor surgery who will go home the same day. Surgeries performed include ear, nose and throat, urology, orthopedic, neurosurgery, spine and plastics.
AHS said the extra surgical capacity in Leduc will also help relieve pressure on other hospitals and surgical sites in the AHS Edmonton zone.
“Making surgery more accessible in people’s home communities will mean better outcomes and faster recoveries for many Albertans,” says Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health.
AHS said the additional surgical capacity is made possible with funding from the Alberta Surgical Initiative (ASI). The program was developed by the Government of Alberta and AHS. With the ASI funding, the hospital has been able to increase the number of operating room nurses and operating room hours.
AHS said the goal of the initiative is to help improve the patient experience from surgery to recovery.
“The ASI is a plan that strives to ensure that all Albertans will receive their scheduled surgeries within clinically appropriate targets,” AHS said.