Outpatient services & community programs resume in Edson

EDSON — Alberta Health Services (AHS) is working hard to ensure the community of Edson has care available with the resumption of outpatient services and at the Edson Healthcare Centre (EHC) and community health programs.

Through the continued uncertainty around the current wildfire situation in the area, the care and safety of our patients and staff remains our top priority as we work to resume care services.

• The EHC emergency department is open. Regular physician coverage resumed as scheduled in the ED on June 17 at 8 a.m.
• EHC inpatient admissions continue to be temporarily paused. EMS remains available to the community and will transport patients to alternate facilities as needed.
• Home Care services resumed June 17.
• Outpatient Laboratory and Diagnostic Imaging services, as well as dialysis resumed June 19.
• All community Public Health services, including immunizations, resumed June 20.
• Community Addiction and Mental Health services resumed June 20.
  • Virtual and by-phone services are available June 20-21.
  • In-person services will resume June 22.
  • Local residents impacted by wildfires can book an appointment by calling 780-725-6110 (local Mental Health services general and referral) or 780-725-6382 (local Addiction services general and referral support) between 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday.

Clients will be contacted directly by AHS to have their appointments rescheduled as soon as possible.

Currently, there is no timeline available for when patients and continuing care residents might be repatriated back to the community. The care and safety of our residents and patients remains our top priority. We continue to maintain close relationships with Alberta Forestry and our municipal partners to ensure we have the information we need to develop timelines and a plan for the safe return of residents and patients.

We are extremely grateful for our frontline teams, staff and physicians who have come together to support the wildfire response across the organization.

Returning home after a wildfire evacuation can be a particularly stressful experience. If you need to talk, supports are also available 24/7 through the Mental Health Helpline at 1-877-303-2642, the Addiction Helpline at 1-866-332-2322, or Health Link at 811. Online mental health resources are available on the AHS website at ahs.ca/helpintoughtimes.

AHS also provides wildfire resources for Albertans at ahs.ca/wildfire, including mental health, air quality, and emergency planning links.

Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Our mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans. Our current focus is on reducing emergency department wait-times, improving EMS response times, increasing access to surgeries, and improving patient flow.