Re-open the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital Obstetrics Program and stop the closure of small town birthing wards

Citing a shortage of nursing staff and an unwillingness to jeopardize patient safety, the decision has been made in March 2009, for at least a 3 month closure of the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital Obstetrics Program. However, the threat of shuttering the program permanently and/or consolidating the program with Canmore's already overcrowded birthing program is very strong and will take away one more essential service from the Bow Valley community.

The hospital administration also cites the need to be able to treat ski and snowboard related injuries this time of year as a large factor why nurses at the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital are unavailable for obstetrics. Even recognizing that most of the people in the Bow Valley participate in these sports, we think most would agree that non-life threatening injuries should not take priority of one of the fundamental processes of life, childbirth.

A prime difficulty with this decision to close the program is that it still jeopardizes patient safety by forcing most expectant parents to travel at least 30 minutes to Canmore General Hospital (assuming they have room) or even an hour and a half drive minimum to one of Calgary's hospitals.
Compound in the threat of severe weather conditions in the Canadian Rockies and Highway 1 and there is potentially even more danger to parents, children, medical staff, and ambulance drivers.

We would like the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital administration, Covenant Health, and the Alberta provincial government to immediately focus on redirecting non-life threatening sports-related injuries to Canmore and Calgary instead, allow Mineral Springs Hospital staff to operate the Obstetrics Program, and actively recruit qualified nursing applicants to ensure the Obstetrics Program at the Banff Mineral Springs Hospital stays open and provides the personal, calming birthing experiences patients in the Bow Valley deserve.

We would also like the Alberta provincial government and all hospital administrations to seriously re-examine the closures of small community obstetrics programs happening throughout the province, assist in their re-opening, and ensure that all baby delivery and support wards are kept open and staffed as an essential community service.

Thank you.