May 7, 2023
HIGH PRAIRIE — To ensure the safety of all patients, residents, and staff, the High Prairie Health Complex and JB Wood Continuing Care Centre are temporarily closed due to wildfire activity in the area.
As of approximately 11 p.m. May 6, Alberta Health Services (AHS) and our EMS partners safely evacuated the final patients and long-term care residents from the High Prairie Health Complex and JB Wood Continuing Care Centre in response to an evacuation order issued due to the current wildfire risk.
More than 80 patients and residents were safely evacuated.
AHS continues to contact families of loved ones to share patient and resident location information. Where possible, staff and physicians have accompanied patients and residents to alternative sites to ensure care continuity.
The High Prairie Health Complex and JB Wood Continuing Care Centre will remain closed until it is safe to reopen. If you have an emergency, please call 911. EMS resources remain in the area to provide support.
All appointments with laboratory services, diagnostic imaging, mental health and public health in High Prairie are postponed at this time. Clients will be contacted directly by AHS to be rescheduled as soon as possible.
Patients who require hemodialysis are being accommodated at other facilities, and home care clients impacted by the evacuation have been contacted to arrange for alternative home visits and support from nursing teams.
We are extremely grateful for our frontline teams, staff and physicians who have come together to support the response across AHS, and especially those whose families have been evacuated.
AHS provides wildfire resources for Albertans at AHS.ca/wildfire, including mental health, air quality, and emergency planning links.
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. Our mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system 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.
