August 18, 2022
Four new physicians have been recruited to the Airdrie Urgent Care Centre
AIRDRIE –The Urgent Care Centre (UCC) at the Airdrie Community Health Centre will resume 24/7 hours of operation on Friday August 19th.
“Four new physicians have been recruited and will start work at the Airdrie Urgent Care Centre in the coming weeks with recruitment efforts continuing to bring on more physicians,” says Dr. Charles Wong, Medical Lead, Urgent Care, Calgary Zone. “These new physician recruits will provide ongoing support and allow us to return to 24/7 urgent care services in Airdrie.”
Additionally, over $1M in new funding will add staffing and three new care spaces to further improve and enhance urgent care services in Airdrie.
As a result of our ongoing conversations with staff and physicians on how we could immediately enhance urgent care services, a new Fast Track care model for patients with less serious health issues will be established. Nurse Practitioner and Registered Nurse positions will be recruited to support this initiative. Operating eight hours a day, this Fast Track service is anticipated to treat up to 30% of the daily UCC visits.
“The Fast Track area will have three dedicated care spaces and see medically stable patients with concerns such as sprains and cuts, mild to moderate respiratory illness such as sore throats and coughs, mild to moderate pain such as headaches, urinary tract infections, skin infections or rashes,” says Amanda Gosselin, Director, Rural Health, AHS Calgary Zone. “This will enable the other medical staff to focus on those patients with more serious concerns.”
More staffing is also being added to help improve triage and patient flow during peak hours. Registered Nurse and Licensed Practical Nurse positions will be recruited to support patient triage which will help reduce wait times to be seen by the first care provider.
The Airdrie Urgent Care Centre currently sees and cares for between 130 and 140 patients every 24 hours. The addition of the three new care spaces will bring the capacity to 16 treatment spaces.
Gaps in physician coverage recently saw the UCC reduce overnight hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. This temporary measure was taken as a last resort to support patient and staff safety.
AHS would like to thank the community for its patience and understanding during this time when hours were modified. AHS is thankful for the support of surrounding healthcare centres and medical staff that helped ensure those who needed care continued to have access to it, even if it required receiving that care in a neighbouring community.
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.
