For the past five decades, the Sundre Hospital and Care Centre has been providing care to the community. While the technology and the delivery of health care have changed drastically over time, the tradition of compassionate care provided by staff, physicians and volunteers has remained.
So too has the partnership of working with the community to improve and enhance health-care services for those living in and around Sundre.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) is committed to continuing these traditions of providing quality care and collaborating with our community partners. The hospital will continue to provide a variety of care options for those who need it, under the guidance of new leadership.
Together with the Sundre Hospital Futures Committee, AHS is pleased to share with the community that as of Nov. 15, Elan Heinrichs has taken up the reins as site leader.
Elan brings with her extensive knowledge and experience in acute care and management, most recently as acute care manager at Ponoka Hospital and Care Centre. Her clinical background is in emergency nursing where she has worked as both a staff nurse and manager. She is passionate about quality patient care, collaboration, safe work environments and staff development, and is an excellent addition to the team at the Sundre Hospital and Care Centre.
We are confident that under Elan's leadership, programs and services at the hospital will flourish to the benefit of the community.
The hospital will continue to provide a variety of care options, including acute, restorative, and long-term care beds. In addition, three beds have been designated as overflow, or overcapacity beds, meaning that the beds can be put into use when the hospital is at peak capacity to reduce pressures in the emergency department.
This mix of beds is currently meeting the needs of the community, but there will be ongoing monitoring and evaluation to ensure that remains the case. Both AHS and the Sundre Hospital Futures Committee will continue to be involved in this work, and will meet again in the spring to review the collected data.
In addition, we are also exploring how to improve and enhance community- based care, including primary care, continuing care, home care, palliative care and access to community mental health resources. One of these enhancements has been the hiring of six new health-care aides for the area. Increasing community based care not only helps prevent illness and injury, but it also reduces pressures on emergency departments and hospitals.
Our goal is to ensure Sundre continues to have appropriate programs and services to meet the needs of the community, now and in the future.
On behalf of AHS and the Sundre Hospital Futures Committee, we want to extend our appreciation to the community, clinicians and local staff for their collaboration and input into this work to date, and we look forward to our continued partnership going forward.
Kerry Bales, chief zone officer, AHS Central Zone
Gerald Ingeveld, chair, Sundre Hospital Futures Committee
