Red Deer hospital resorts to makeshift treatment spaces, sees ‘high patient volumes,’ says AHS – CBC

UCP government first announced plans to expand the hospital in 2020

Jan 08, 2024

Jaelene Tweedle says she knew the Red Deer Hospital’s emergency room had been under stress for a while, but she wasn’t prepared for what she saw when she had to visit the facility last month.

Tweedle, who ran for the Alberta NDP in Red Deer-North in the 2023 election, told CBC News that after sitting in the hospital’s ER waiting room for approximately five hours in the early hours of Dec. 21, she was taken back to a treatment area.

There, white tarps had been hung between metal posts to create makeshift treatment spaces.

Tweedle was ushered into one such space, where she sat for a further six hours as she was assessed. At one point, she shared that space with another person.

“I was surprised to see things have come to this,” said Tweedle.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/red-deer-hospital-makeshift-treatment-spaces-1.7077971