(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

last resort, says ahs

Another temporary closure today of Sylvan Lake Advanced Ambulatory Care Service

Jan 26, 2022 | 9:23 AM

As of 7:30 Wednesday (Jan. 26) morning, the Sylvan Lake Advanced Ambulatory Care Service (SLAACS) is temporarily closed.

Alberta Health Services issued a bulletin at about 6:45 this morning, saying the closure is due to a “sudden gap in physician coverage.”

The service will reopen on Jan. 27 at 7:30 a.m.

AHS says the measure was taken as a last resort, with all avenues of securing physician coverage exhausted

AHS adds the following:

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“Patients arriving at SLAACS outside the hours of operation will be redirected to other care options as appropriate. These options include booking an appointment with their family doctor, or calling Health Link at 811 for medical information and advice.

Patients can also access medical care from facilities in nearby communities, including Rocky Mountain House and Red Deer.

Scheduled appointments with other health services – like Public Health, laboratory and Addiction and Mental Health –at the Sylvan Lake Community Health Centre are not impacted by the temporary change in hours.

Sylvan Lake Advanced Ambulatory Care Service offers diagnosis and treatment of urgent, but non-life-threatening conditions, seven days a week. These include sudden illness or injury that could be cared for in a doctor’s office but requires immediate attention.

Patients requiring emergency medical care are to call 911.”

This follows up similar closures or hour changes due to staff shortages to Sylvan Lake Ambulatory Care on Jan. 20, 2022, Dec. 25, 2021, as well as Aug. 10 13, 15, 16, 18, 21, 22 and 31 of 2021.