TWO HILLS – The emergency department in Two Hills, located 140 km northeast of Edmonton, will be closed overnight and on weekends effective March 17.
According to Alberta Health Services, nursing staff will remain on-site to provide care and redirect incoming patients to other emergency departments in the region “or other appropriate levels of service, as needed.”
Ambulances will be re-routed to other hospitals in the region including Vegreville (30 minutes), St. Paul (37 minutes), Viking (47 minutes), and Vermilion (56 minutes).
According to AHS, the reason for the closure is a lack of physician coverage.
Beginning on March 17, the emergency department of the Two Hills Hospital will close from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. from Monday through Thursday and on weekends from 5 p.m. Friday through 8 a.m. Monday.
“Alberta Health Services continues to actively recruit for additional physicians to support the community and surrounding area, and is committed to resuming full ED services as quickly as possible.”
“AHS is 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.”
A review of service disruptions posted to the AHS website shows this is not a new problem for Two Hills. The emergency department was closed overnight and on weekends for the entirety of 2024.
Other emergency rooms in the Lakeland, like Lac La Biche and Elk Point are staffed by a virtual physician when a doctor is not available.
