April 19, 2024
LEDUC – Starting this month, more patients will have access to the surgeries they need as the Leduc Community Hospital expands operating room hours.
The surgical theatres will now run Monday to Friday, enabling the hospital to accommodate 17 per cent, or approximately 400, more surgeries each year.
The additional surgical capacity is made possible with funding from the Alberta Surgical Initiative (ASI), which was jointly developed by the Government of Alberta and Alberta Health Services (AHS). With the ASI funding, the hospital has been able to increase the number of operating room nurses and operating room hours.
“I’m thrilled to see access to surgery increasing at our rural hospitals. 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.
The extra surgical capacity will also help relieve pressure on other hospitals and surgical sites in the AHS Edmonton Zone.
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.
“This is an exciting time for patients and staff of Leduc Community Hospital,” says Heather Durstling, AHS Executive Director of Edmonton Zone Suburban Hospitals. “With greater surgical capacity, we’re empowering healthcare workers to improve wait times and address the surgical backlog, ensuring people can access healthcare when and where they need it.”
The ASI is a plan that strives to ensure that all Albertans will receive their scheduled surgeries within clinically appropriate targets. The ASI focuses on improving the patient’s surgical journey, from the time patients seek advice from their family doctor, to when they are referred to a specialist, to their surgery and rehabilitation.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Our mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans. Our current focus is on reducing emergency department wait times, improving EMS response times, increasing access to surgeries, and improving patient flow.
