COLD LAKE – The Cold Lake Healthcare Centre's Emergency Department will be temporarily without on-site physician coverage overnight on April 26 to 27, and again from April 27 to 28.
The temporary closure is due to the inability to secure physician coverage, according to Alberta Health Services (AHS).
The specific times the emergency department will be without physician coverage begins on April 26 from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. the next morning, and again the following evening, April 27, from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. on April 28.
“This is a temporary measure and AHS is working hard to ensure local residents continue to have access to the care they need during this time,” states a media release from AHS.
Nursing staff will remain on-site in the hospital’s emergency department to provide triage, assessments, and referrals for patients to alternate emergency departments in surrounding communities as needed.
Patients still are asked to call 911 if they have a medical emergency.
EMS services will remain available to the community and will be re-routed to surrounding healthcare centres to ensure local residents continue to have access to the emergency services they need, continues the statement.
Residents are reminded to call Health Link at 811, which is available 24/7 for non-emergency health-related questions.
Healthcare facilities near Cold Lake
The nearest emergency department to the Cold Lake Healthcare Centre is the Bonnyville Healthcare Centre over 50 km away.
The Elk Point Healthcare Centre is more than 100km away. However, the facility’s emergency department has no on-site physician on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 8 a.m. the following day.
The Elk Point facility, like the Cold Lake Healthcare Centre, will have nursing staff on site to assess, triage and refer patients to other medical centres.
The St. Therese - St. Paul Healthcare Centre is about 120 km from Cold Lake and the William J. Cadzow – Lac La Biche Healthcare Centre is nearly 150 km away – approximately 1.5 hours away.
