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Regular Operations Resume Dec. 31, 2022

Reduced hours for Sylvan Lake Advanced Ambulatory Care Service during holidays

Dec 23, 2022 | 1:29 PM

Officials with Alberta Health Services (AHS) say the Sylvan Lake Advanced Ambulatory Care Service (SLAACS) will see reduced hours during the holidays.

Due to physician unavailability, SLAACS will operate the following hours:

December 25: Closed 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Open 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

December 28: Open 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

December 30: Closed 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Open 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Other days are unaffected, and regular operations resume on Dec. 31.

AHS says these reduced hours are necessary as the service cannot operate without a physician onsite.

This means patients arriving at the Sylvan Lake Community Health Centre to receive care at the Advanced Ambulatory Care Service during closures will be redirected to other available care options as appropriate to their needs. These options include returning when the service resumes, booking an appointment with a family doctor, or calling Health Link at 811 for medical information and advice.

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

SLAACS offers diagnosis and treatment of urgent but non-life-threatening conditions. These include sudden illness or injury that could be cared for in a doctor’s office but require immediate attention. Examples of urgent needs include minor cuts or burns, muscle and joint strains, bone fractures, and fever in young children.

Officials say SLAACS is not for life-threatening emergencies such as heart attack, signs/symptoms of stroke, head trauma, seizures etc. Patients requiring emergency medical care should call 911.

Booked appointments with other services at the Sylvan Lake Community Health Centre are not impacted by the temporary closure of SLAACS.