Virtual Emergency Physician program expands to St. Paul

December 17, 2025

ST. PAUL— Patients seeking care at the St. Therese- St. Paul Healthcare Centre emergency department (ED) will have additional supports next week when Alberta Health Services (AHS) introduces its Virtual Emergency Physician (VEP) program at the facility.

The VEP uses an experienced ED physician to remotely support facilities temporarily without available on-site ED physician support. In these instances, 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 collaborates with local staff, speaks with patients, orders tests and medications, and transfers or discharges patients.

“Our nurses, paramedics and frontline staff work incredibly hard, often under challenging circumstances. We saw through the pilot in Elk Point that while having an on-site emergency physician remains the preferred option, the Virtual Emergency Physician program is an effective way to keep emergency rooms open and patients cared for when staffing challenges arise,” says Scott Cyr, MLA for Bonnyville–Cold Lake–St. Paul.

“Expanding this program to St. Paul helps ensure continuity of service, supports local healthcare teams, and means residents can continue to rely on their emergency department when they need it most.”

Virtual physician models are currently being used in B.C., Saskatchewan and Ontario, where this approach has proven to be reliable and effective in ensuring low-acuity patients receive the support they need when they need it. EMS remains available to transfer high-acuity patients to a nearby facility with in-person ED physician support when necessary.

“We are incredibly grateful for the support the VEP program has received from our staff, physicians and EMS partners,” says Dr. Jane Ojedokun, Medical Director for AHS North Zone.

“We recently completed a six-month pilot of the program, and, through data and feedback collected, we continue to make improvements that will improve patient and provider experiences, as well as patient flow.”

In addition to St. Paul, the program — which launched in January — is also being offered in eight other communities:

The Elk Point Healthcare Centre and Redwater Healthcare Centre both launched the VEP program earlier this year. Since launch, each site has secured on-site physician support and no longer require the program.

AHS continues to actively recruit physicians to supply in-person emergency department support. This initiative will not impact those continued efforts in communities where the VEP program is offered. On-site physician coverage remains AHS’ priority and preferred approach.

If there is a service disruption and there is no emergency physician on-site, it will be noted in the communications if a virtual emergency physician will be available.

Alberta Health Services provides acute care services for more than five million Albertans at hospitals, urgent care centres and health centres across the province. Our mission is to provide excellent and accessible patient-focused healthcare for all Albertans. Our current focus is on reducing emergency department wait times, increasing access to surgeries and improving patient flow.