The Hinton Healthcare Centre won’t have an on-site physician at its emergency department for three nights straight this week.
The disruption will occur for the following time periods:
- 9 p.m. Tuesday (Dec. 17) to 7 a.m. Wednesday (Dec. 18)
- 1 p.m. Wednesday (Dec. 18) to 7 a.m. Thursday (Dec. 19)
- 9 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 19) to 7 a.m. Friday (Dec. 20)
Alberta Health Services says this interruption is due to the inability to secure physician coverage. The disruption will be cancelled if coverage can be found.
During these periods, nursing staff will remain on-site in the emergency department to providing triage, assessments and referrals to alternate emergency departments in neighbouring communities if needed.
“We are grateful 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,” AHS stated in a PSA.
EMS will remain available in Hinton. Residents are asked to call 911 if they have a medical emergency or Health Link at 811 for non-emergency medial questions.
AHS reminded members of the public to be polite and respectful when interacting with health-care staff.
“Our team is working hard to provide the best care, and kindness helps create a positive experience for everyone,” it added.
Residents with concerns can provide feedback through AHS’s patient relations team at 1-855-550-2555.
This is one of many service interruptions that have occurred at the Hinton Healthcare Centre over the past year. In late June, Hinton council declared a local health care crisis due to a shortage of healthcare workers.
The provincial government has pledged to recruit more doctors to Hinton. In October, it announced a $16-million bursary program to attract more doctors to rural areas in Alberta.
