North Zone - Slave Lake Staff Update

May 24, 2011

Restoration and recovery work for the phased re-opening of the community, and health services at Slave Lake Healthcare Centre, continued over the long weekend.

The timing of re-entry into the community for residents will be based on a number of factors determined by local and provincial government officials and emergency response agencies. Ensuring safety for residents is the key factor in that decision making.

Some of the criteria that re-entry plans depend on includes the status of the fires nearest to the community and the resumption of power, gas, and water and sewage disposal systems, as well as basic public services, such as health services. Security fencing is being established around damaged properties, as there are still risks to safety at those sites.

The re-entry plan for the community will be shared broadly by local and provincial agencies as soon as it is determined.

Resuming health services in the community is considered an essential service that should be in place before residents are permitted to return to the community. Many staff have indicated their desire and willingness to return to work, and we sincerely thank you for that.

For the coming week, a limited number of staff will return to the Healthcare Centre to transition the health clinic services that are currently being provided at the College over to the hospital Emergency Department. Temporary accommodations will be in place for these staff, as individuals are not yet permitted to return to their homes. This means staff with families may not be among the first to be called to return to work, as we want to ensure you are able to care for children who may not be school, and not be separated from your families.

Good progress has been made cleaning and restoring the facility for full operations, and the Emergency Department will be ready to re-open when local officials indicate that service is needed. We anticipate that will occur this week. Re-opening of the Emergency Department, and the clinical services that support it such as lab and diagnostic imaging, is the first phase towards resuming full health services to support the return of residents.

More information about the resumption of health services at the Slave Lake Healthcare Centre will be shared this week, as those plans develop.

More information about supports and temporary housing for residents who lost their homes has also been made available by government agencies, on their websites. Links include:

We also want to reconfirm for you that salary continuance for all Slave Lake staff will be provided during the recovery period to resume health service operations in the community. This means Slave Lake staff will continue to be paid for their regularly scheduled shifts until further notice so that they suffer no loss of regular earnings. This will be reviewed weekly as more information becomes available.

For staff members who have not yet been in touch with AHS since you left the community, we encourage you to call in to the Human Resources intake line at 1-855-350-3164 (Toll Free) or 780-350-3164. Or, email HR at Gladys.Nelson@albertahealthservices.ca to provide your contact information.

To reach us with any questions or concerns you can contact: