December 22, 2023
SWAN HILLS — Alberta Health Services (AHS) is temporarily pausing inpatient admissions and temporarily changing hours of service at the Swan Hills Healthcare Centre emergency department, due to a lack of available nursing staff and an inability to secure temporary coverage.
Inpatient admissions will be paused beginning Dec. 22, 2023, until Jan. 5, 2024, with the exception of two designated supportive living beds that can be made available as needed.
The Swan Hills Healthcare Centre emergency department (ED) will be closed overnight from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., from Dec. 29, 2023, until Jan. 5, 2024.
The Swan Hills Healthcare Centre ED will remain open during the day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. between Dec. 30, 2023, and Jan. 5, 2024.
This will allow existing staff to provide consistent service for 12 hours each day, during the times when the majority of emergency department and outpatient visits occur.
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.
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.
