Hinton ER doctor shortage puts strain on region, local leaders say

The emergency room in Hinton, Alta., will be without a doctor for seven nights in a row this week.

The service disruption, from March 10-16, is the latest in a string of closures that leaders of the town — located about 280 kilometres west of Edmonton — say is putting a strain on the whole region. 

While there is no on-site ER doctor at the Hinton Healthcare Centre between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m., the hospital remains staffed by nurses who can still triage patients and refer them to other medical facilities as needed.

Hinton Mayor Brian LaBerge said not having a doctor on site for several nights in a row has become a regular occurrence.

“What happens at night if you have to send someone to Edmonton? If there’s a complication on the way? That’s a long way to go.”

Hinton and Edson, located about 90 kilometres apart along the busy Highway 16 corridor, try to co-ordinate schedules to ensure at least one town’s ER is covered.

Even still, sometimes neither hospital has a doctor on site, said Edson Mayor Kevin Zahara, which he said creates a “huge problem” for the region of about 30,000.

“We're a large region, we're rural-based with a lot of traffic and a lot of industry,” he said. “So we do need some changes and hopefully [will] find some relief for the physicians in our area.”

Zahara said shortages in one town spill over to the next, creating longer wait times and adding pressure on the doctors and nurses.

“This is not sustainable,” he said. “We need more action by the province … in order to get the positions we need in keeping our ERs open in our area.”

Among the steps the Alberta government has taken to address physician shortages in rural ERs is through a pilot program called the Virtual Emergency Physician program.

Hinton and Edson are among 10 Alberta communities who use telehealth as part of the program, which virtually connects the hospital to an off-site doctor. 

That remote physician works with local staff, speaks directly with patients through a screen, orders tests and medications, and transfers or discharges patients.

The province issued a news release that stated Hinton will have access to a doctor virtually for either some or all of the seven nights that the service advisory is in effect for the town.