Temporary closure in George McDougall Healthcare Centre Emergency Department

SMOKY LAKE — The Emergency Department at the George McDougall Healthcare Centre in Smoky Lake will be without physician coverage for 24 hours from 8 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 21 to 8 a.m. Monday, Aug. 22.

AHS is working to ensure residents continue to have access to the care they need during this time.

Nursing staff will remain on-site in the Emergency Department providing triage and assessments and referring patients to healthcare facilities in surrounding communities as needed.

Patients requiring urgent emergency medical care during this time are asked to call 911.

EMS calls will be re-routed to other available healthcare sites to ensure local residents continue to have access to the emergency services they need. Surrounding facilities include the Redwater Health Centre (56km), Ste. Therese-St Paul Healthcare Centre (93km), or the William J. Cadzow – Lac La Biche Healthcare Centre (101km).

Depending on their needs, patients seeking care may also be made aware of services available through local pharmacies. Residents are reminded to call Health Link at 811, which is available 24/7, for non-emergency, health-related questions.

AHS continues to aggressively recruit healthcare professionals for rural areas. AHS has 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.

AHS has created a page focused on rural care on the AHS Careers Site, and have implemented the following short-term strategies to support recruitment:

• Actively sourcing critical positions through direct contact via LinkedIn, professional associations, Indeed and other talent networks;
• Leveraging the retention of an increased pandemic workforce, through a targeted rural campaign;
• Engaging with the Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP) to collaborate on attraction and retention strategies for specific communities and occupations;
• Attending various virtual careers fairs with rural managers to highlight our critical vacancies; and
• Implementing student initiatives for both spring graduates and undergraduates.

You can find all jobs that are posted for Smoky Lake by accessing this link and searching for Smoky Lake in location: Alberta Health Services Careers ‐ Jobs.

We are 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 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.