December 22, 2023
TWO HILLS - Due to significant staffing challenges in laboratory and diagnostic imaging (DI) services, the emergency department at Two Hills Health Centre will be temporarily closed over the following dates:
There will also be no laboratory or DI services available over the same time periods. When the ED reopens on January 2, it will temporarily operate on reduced hours – along with lab and DI – until staffing levels are stabilized.
As of January 2, the ED will close overnight, from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. Monday to Friday during the week. Additionally, the ED will be closed during weekends, beginning at 4 p.m. on Fridays and reopening at 8 a.m. on Mondays.
Nursing staff will remain in the ED during the temporary closures to triage and assess any patients presenting to the department. Patients will be re-directed to other care options appropriate to their needs, including to other EDs as needed including St. Joseph’s General Hospital in Vegreville, St. Therese Hospital in St. Paul, the Viking Health Centre, or Vermilion Health Centre.
EMS will be available to transport patients if needed.
Laboratory testing such as in-depth blood analysis, along with diagnostic imaging like x-rays, provide emergency care teams with vital patient information for diagnosis and treatment. While limited testing can continue to be done at a patient’s bedside, the decision to temporarily close the ED has been made in the interest of patient safety following consultation with medical staff.
Recruitment for laboratory and DI staff continues. Until additional staff are secured, these services will be temporarily unavailable for community appointments as of January 2. Anyone needing blood work or other lab work, as well as x-rays, will be able to access services from other facilities, including those in Vegreville or St. Paul.
Services will resume in Two Hills as additional staffing support is found.
The decision to temporarily reduce these services is a last resort after exhausting all options, including all possibilities of utilizing staff from other facilities without affecting those services. Alberta Health Services and Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL) are providing nursing staff and physicians additional training to allow for a limited number of blood tests to continue to be completed for inpatients afterhours as needed.
Both AHS and APL would like to thank the community and patients for their support and understanding during this time.
APL is a wholly owned subsidiary of AHS, delivering high-quality, responsive diagnostic lab services to Albertans across our healthcare system.
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.
