The emergency department at the Lacombe Hospital and Care Centre will be temporarily closed overnight on two consecutive days due to an unexpected gap in physician coverage, Alberta Health Services (AHS) announced.
The closures will take place from 11 p.m. Friday until 7 a.m. Saturday and again from 11 p.m. Saturday until 7 a.m. Sunday.
AHS said efforts to secure temporary physician coverage were unsuccessful.
Nursing staff will remain on site during the closures to assess and support any patients who arrive at the emergency department. Depending on their condition, patients may be referred to other health-care facilities in nearby communities.
AHS is advising residents to call 911 in the event of a medical emergency. For non-emergency health concerns, people are encouraged to contact Health Link at 811, a 24-hour health advice line, or consult their family physician.
All other services at the Lacombe Hospital and Care Centre will continue to operate as normal.
AHS said if temporary coverage becomes available, emergency department services will be restored and the community will be notified.
The health authority thanked nearby health-care centres and medical staff for their support and expressed appreciation to the Lacombe community for its patience and understanding.
With information from AHS.
Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon.
Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@centralalbertaonline.com.
CentralAlbertaOnline encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the CentralAlbertaOnline app.