June 21, 2023
SWAN HILLS — Alberta Health Services (AHS) is temporarily changing hours of service at the Swan Hills Healthcare Centre, due to a lack of available nursing staff and an inability to secure temporary coverage.
Between June 22 and July 24, the Swan Hills Healthcare Centre will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and closed overnight, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
This will allow existing staff to provide consistent service for twelve hours each day, during the times when the majority of emergency department and outpatient visits occur. In-patient admissions will be paused, with the exception of two designated supportive living beds that can be made available if needed.
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.
Residents are reminded to call Health Link at 811, which is available 24/7, for non-urgent health-related questions.
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.
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.
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.
