COLD LAKE – Just after 4 p.m. on Thursday, Alberta Health Services (AHS) announced a third overnight Emergency Department closure affecting Cold Lake Healthcare Centre’s operations taking place this week.
The Cold Lake Healthcare Centre’s Emergency Department will be temporarily closed tonight (July 14) beginning at 11 p.m. until 7 a.m. on Friday, July 15.
Cold Lake hospital’s Emergency Department was also closed overnight Monday and Tuesday this week.
These temporary but regular closures of the department are the result of the provincial health authority’s inability to secure physician coverage to staff the overnight hours of the Emergency Department.
Nursing staff will remain on-site in the emergency department to provide triage and assessments. They will also make referrals for patients to alternate emergency departments in surrounding communities as needed, states AHS.
EMS will remain available to the community and will be re-routed to surrounding healthcare centres.
Residents are also 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.
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.
