Temporary service advisory for Beaverlodge Municipal Hospital Emergency Department

Due to a clinical personnel shortage and an inability to secure temporary coverage, the Beaverlodge Municipal Hospital emergency department (ED) will be without onsite physician coverage from: 

• 8 a.m., Thursday, April 17 to 8 a.m., Friday, April 18  

During this time, nursing staff will remain on-site in the emergency department providing triage, assessments, and referrals for patients to alternate emergency departments in neighbouring communities, as needed. 

Patients are asked to call 911 if they have a medical emergency during these times. EMS will remain available to the community and will be re-routed to surrounding facilities, including Grande Prairie Regional Hospital. 

Virtual Emergency Physician coverage may be available for all or part of this service advisory. The Virtual Emergency Physician program uses an experienced ED physician to remotely support facilities temporarily without available on-site ED physician support. Site clinical staff can connect with an AHS physician by telephone or videoconference for ED patients with non-life-threatening issues. This off-site virtual physician can collaborate with local staff, speak with patients, order tests and medications, and transfer or discharge patients. 

The Virtual Emergency Physician program is currently being piloted in five communities: Beaverlodge, Elk Point, Hinton, Lac La Biche and Edson. 

Community members are reminded to call Health Link at 811, which is available 24/7 for non-emergency health-related questions. Depending on their needs, patients may also be aware of services available through local pharmacies. 

AHS continues to work to find clinical personnel coverage for this time period. If coverage is found, this service advisory will be cancelled.  

This is a temporary measure, and AHS is working hard to ensure residents continue to have access to the care they need during this time. 

We are grateful for the support of surrounding healthcare centres and medical staff and would like to thank the community for its patience and understanding during this time.  

Residents with concerns can provide feedback through our Patient Relations team. For more information, call 1-855-550-2555. 

Information provided by Alberta Health Services