Due to a lack of physician availability and inability to secure locum coverage, the Boyle Healthcare Centre emergency department will be without physician coverage July 21 at 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. This disruption may not occur if coverage is found.
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 as needed to ensure local residents continue to have access to the emergency services they need.
As part of an existing, temporary change in hours at the Boyle Healthcare Centre, the emergency department is also closed nightly between 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. due to a lack of available nursing staff.
Nursing staff will continue to be available during the day from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. to triage and assess anyone presenting to the emergency department. Patients may be referred to alternate emergency departments as needed. This includes Athabasca (44 km) and Smoke Lake (77 km).
Residents are reminded to call Health Link at 811, which is available 24/7 for non-emergency health-related questions.
We are grateful for the support of surrounding healthcare centres and medical staff and would like to thank the community for their patience and understanding.
AHS continues to aggressively recruit healthcare professionals for rural areas. We have several initiatives underway to help support recruitment efforts including northern incentive programs as well as working closely with practicing professionals and the community. The Alberta Rural Health Professions Action Plan is also in place, aiming to improve rural medical services for communities, support rural practitioners and recruit new talent.
