LAC LA BICHE - Due to a lack of physician coverage, the William J. Cadzow Healthcare Centre in Lac La Biche's Emergency Department (ED) will experience a service disruption from 5 p.m. on June 3 to 8 a.m. on June 4.
"This is a temporary measure and AHS (Alberta Health Services) is working hard to ensure local residents continue to have access to the care they need during this time," reads a public service announcement released by AHS Friday morning.
Nursing staff will be on-site in the ED providing triage and assessments. Patients will be referred to alternate EDs in surrounding communities as required.
"Patients are asked to call 911 if they have a medical emergency. EMS 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," according to AHS.
Residents can also call Health Link at 811, which is available 24/7 for non-emergency health-related questions.
AHS says it is "thankful 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."
Earlier in the week, the Cold Lake Healthcare Centre Emergency Department also experienced another service disruption at its ED. The Cold Lake ED was without on-site physician coverage from 11 p.m. on June 1 to 7 a.m. on June 2.
