EDMONTON – Alberta hospitals will open at least 200 additional beds across the province by the end of the year, Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky announced on Wednesday.
He said the beds, possibly as many as 250, are the first step in addressing the concerns Albertans expressed during summer consultations with government, which resulted in 15 recommendations, all of which the government formally accepted Wednesday.
“Our immediate plan, starting today, is also to roll out a new strategy that will address emergency room wait times,” Zwozdesky said.
“I have now visited over 20 different emergency rooms in hospitals throughout the province. I wasn’t pleased with everything that I saw, when it came to the number of people waiting. To be honest, the length of time that people are having to wait in some of our emergency care hospitals is simply unacceptable.”
Zwozdesky said 88 people were waiting for emergency care in Edmonton on Wednesday morning, while 67 waited in Calgary, both figures well above average.
The beds will be for acute care, detoxification and continuing care, and there will also be new spaces for hospice care.
Zwozdesky also said the government will increase available homecare services and expand Health Link online so Albertans can check emergency room wait times before they leave home.
The money to fund all of the service expansions will come from planned budget increases.
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