Alberta Health Services has announced temporary disruptions in physician coverage at two healthcare centres due to an inability to secure physician availability.
Both the William J. Cadzow Lac La Biche Healthcare Centre and the George McDougall Smoky Lake Healthcare Centre will experience periods without on-site physicians in their Emergency Departments.
At the William J. Cadzow Lac La Biche Healthcare Centre, the ED will be without on-site physician coverage during the following times:
4 p.m., Monday, August 26 – 8 a.m., Tuesday, August 27
10 p.m., Wednesday, August 28 – 8 a.m., Thursday, August 29
4 p.m., Friday, August 30 – 8 a.m., Saturday, August 31
4 p.m., Tuesday, September 3 – 8 a.m., Wednesday, September 4
4 p.m., Wednesday, September 4 – 8 a.m., Thursday, September 5
Meanwhile, at the George McDougall Smoky Lake Healthcare Centre, the ED will be without on-site physician coverage from:
7 p.m., Monday, August 26 – 8 a.m., Tuesday, August 27
7 p.m., Tuesday, August 27 – 8 a.m., Wednesday, August 28
7 p.m., Wednesday, August 28 – 8 a.m., Thursday, August 29
7 p.m., Thursday, August 29 – 8 a.m., Friday, August 30
During these periods, nursing staff will remain on-site at both centres to provide triage, assessments, and referrals to alternate emergency departments in surrounding communities as needed. Patients experiencing a medical emergency are advised to call 911. EMS will remain available to the community and will coordinate with local healthcare centres to ensure residents continue to have access to essential emergency services.
For non-emergency health-related questions, residents are encouraged to call Health Link at 811, which is available 24/7. Depending on their needs, patients visiting the ED in Lac La Biche may also be referred to services available through local pharmacies.
If physician coverage is secure, these disruptions may be cancelled. AHS emphasizes that these are temporary measures, and efforts are ongoing to ensure that local residents continue to have access to the care they need.
