BONNYVILLE – The Bonnyville Health Centre will see a temporary closure of its emergency department services overnight Thursday as a result of an emergency physician shortage.
The temporary closure of the emergency department will start at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 13 and will end the next morning at 7 a.m. on April 14.
“The Emergency department will have ER nursing available to navigate patients to other emergency service sites if needed,” stated Shelly Franklin, the site administrator for Bonnyville Health Centre.
Patients are asked to call 911 if they have a medical emergency. EMS calls will be rerouted to the nearest health care facility with Emergency Services.
The nearest emergency departments are located in Cold Lake, 51km away (314-25 Street) and St. Paul Healthcare Centre, 67km away (4713-48 Avenue).
Franklin reminds residents to call Health Link at 811 for non-emergency, health-related questions. Health Link is available 24/7.
Other service areas will remain open at the Bonnyville hospital during the emergency department closure.
“We are thankful for the support of surrounding healthcare centres and medical staff and would like to thank the community for their patience and understanding,” said Franklin.
The emergency department at the Bonnyville Health Centre was also closed earlier this week due to a physician shortage. The department was closed Monday evening and reopened on Tuesday morning.
