The emergency department at Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge. The Alberta Government says it is working to address challenges in acute care capacity. (Image Credit: Pattison Media)

By David Opinko

Alberta coordinating ‘provincewide response’ to acute care capacity challenges

Jan 13, 2026 | 8:54 AM

The CEO of one of Alberta’s healthcare agencies has issued a statement regarding the status of acute care capacity across the province.

David Diamond, the head of Acute Care Alberta (ACA), says we have had a “particularly challenging” respiratory virus season, which has placed considerable pressure on emergency departments.

“Albertans can be assured that the Government of Alberta, provincial health agencies, and service delivery organizations are working together to actively support the acute care system and meet the daily pressures and high demand,” says Diamond.

He states that the ACA is coordinating a provincewide response that has seen all sectors of the healthcare system cooperate to create capacity and free up resources.

The agency has partnered with Covenant Health to support site-level decisions such as accelerating discharges and transfers where appropriate, limiting non-essential inbound transfers, dedicating 336 beds to the respiratory virus season, and opening designated surge spaces when needed.

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ACA is working with other provincial health agencies, like Primary Care Alberta (PCA), to support the diversion of low-acuity cases away from emergency departments.

Diamond says they have also improved patient access to primary care clinics, expanded Health Link’s Virtual MD program, and implemented the EMS-811 Shared Response Line.

PCA is attempting to reduce readmissions by helping primary care providers identify patients who require timely follow-up after hospital discharge.

Assisted Living Alberta (ALA) is piloting a program where home care staff are placed in a high-traffic emergency department waiting room to help triage and treat lower-acuity patients.

“Across acute care, 206 new spaces were permanently funded this year, while an additional 130 seasonal surge spaces have been opened to help address capacity challenges,” says Diamond.

For the week of Dec. 28, 2025, to Jan. 3, 2026, the province has reported 653 cases of influenza that required hospitalization, 51 ICU admissions, and 12 deaths.

There have been 113 COVID-19 hospitalizations, four ICU admissions, and three deaths in that period, as well as 45 RSV hospitalizations, six ICU stays, and four deaths.

Diamond says that respiratory virus hospital admissions peaked on Dec. 28, and emergency departments have seen a higher volume of non-respiratory virus patients who required hospitalization.

He says the ACA is working closely with individual sites to review daily surgical slates, which has resulted in the rescheduling of seven non-urgent surgeries in Alberta since Jan. 1.

On Monday, the Alberta NDP called on the UCP government to acknowledge what it called the “crisis” of overcrowded hospitals.

Hospital services critic Sarah Hoffman accused the UCP of not doing enough to address the situation, and the Alberta Medical Association said it wanted to bring back provincial accountability for coordinating patients.

READ MORE: Alberta NDP calls on Premier Smith to acknowledge, address ER capacity ‘crisis’