MLA Hanson wants staff moved from COVID assessment centres into hospitals

MLA David Hanson wants to see health care staff that is currently working at COVID assessment centres be used at local hospitals instead.

During a conversation with Lakeland Connect two weeks ago, the representative from Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul said this was an issue he raised months ago.

“The health minister was shocked to hear that the COVID testing facilities were still open back in the spring session. So here we are in September and we’re still manning these. We have nursing shortages,” Hanson said. 

“We know that we got a shortage of RNs all over the province. We have ER closures…we can’t deliver babies because of lack of RN support in obstetrics. AHS has to come up with an answer to this to the people in the region.” 

Lakeland Connect reached out to AHS North Zone reps for information about the number of COVID assessment centres in the Bonnyville-Cold Lake-St. Paul-Lac La Biche area, the number of staff in these areas, and how they would respond to the question of usefulness at this stage, and did not receive a response after a week of communication.

“I think it’s ridiculous,” said Hanson. I think it’s time that it comes out and answered, we’ve got management up here in the North Zone that needs to answer these questions.”