August 18, 2021
SYLVAN LAKE – The Sylvan Lake Advanced Ambulatory Care Service (SLAACS) will be temporarily closed this evening, August 18 from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., and during the daytime August 21, 22, and 31 from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. due to a gap in physician coverage.
New patients will not be admitted after 2 p.m. today to allow the physician and staff to treat and discharge those in care.
These closures are temporary measures taken as a last resort. Patients arriving at SLAACS outside the hours of operation will be redirected to other care options as appropriate. These options include returning the next day during hours of operation, booking an appointment with their family doctor, or calling Health Link at 811 for medical information and advice.
Patients can also access medical care from facilities in nearby communities, including Rocky Mountain House and Red Deer.
Scheduled appointments with other health services – like Public Health, laboratory and Addiction and Mental Health –at the Sylvan Lake Community Health Centre are not impacted by the temporary closures.
Sylvan Lake Advanced Ambulatory Care Service offers diagnosis and treatment of urgent, but non-life-threatening conditions, seven days a week. These include sudden illness or injury that could be cared for in a doctor's office but requires immediate attention.
Patients requiring emergency medical care are to call 911.
All avenues to secure physician coverage for today have been exhausted. Efforts to secure coverage of other vacant shifts are ongoing to minimize impacts to service and the community as much as possible, as AHS works until the last possible minute to secure locum physician coverage and avoid closure.
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. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
