October 17, 2025
TWO HILLS — As a result of continued gaps in physician coverage, the hours of operation for the emergency department (ED) at the Two Hills Health Centre have been temporarily reduced during the evening, Monday to Thursday.
The ED is now open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. The ED will continue to be closed on weekends at this time.
During times when the ED is closed, nursing staff will remain on-site to provide care and assistance in redirecting/referring patients to emergency departments in neighbouring communities, or other appropriate levels of service, as needed. EMS will remain available to the community and will work closely with nursing teams to transport patients to surrounding facilities, including St. Joseph’s General Hospital in Vegreville, St. Therese Hospital in St. Paul, the Viking Health Centre or Vermilion Health Centre.
Virtual Emergency Physician (VEP) coverage may be available during times when there is no physician on site. The VEP program uses an experienced Alberta physician with emergency medicine experience to remotely support facilities temporarily without available on-site ED physician support. Site clinical staff can connect with an AHS physician by telephone or videoconference for ED patients with non-life-threatening issues. This off-site virtual physician can collaborate with local staff, speak with patients, order tests and medications, and transfer or discharge patients.
The Virtual Emergency Physician program is temporarily in place in Two Hills and Coronation, as well as several northern Alberta communities.
Active recruitment efforts for additional physicians to support a return to expanded ED hours are ongoing. Additionally, Alberta Health Services (AHS) continues to explore all options for locum coverage to help minimize the reduction in ED hours for the community.
The community will be notified if locum coverage is secured and expanded ED hours restored. All other services at the Two Hills Health Centre site will continue to operate as normal while the ED hours are reduced.
Residents are asked to call 911 if they have a medical emergency. Residents are reminded to call Health Link at 811, which is available 24/7 for non-emergency, health-related questions.
Alberta Health Services 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.
Alberta Health Services provides a range of healthcare services for more than five million adults and children living in Alberta. Our mission is to provide excellent, patient-focused healthcare 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.
