The labs at the Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre and St. Mary’s Hospital in Camrose will shift their focus to emergency, inpatient and ambulatory patients only starting Dec. 5.
Community patients will be directed to labs in their community – a list of the current community labs is available on www.albertaprecisionlabs.ca.
This change is being implemented only in areas where community lab collection sites are already operating, Alberta Health Services announced on Monday.
“In most cases, the nearest community site is within two kilometres of an acute care centre,” said AHS.
This is one step towards the larger transition of community lab services from Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL) to DynaLIFE Medical Laboratories. By transitioning community lab services to DynaLIFE, APL will be better able to maintain lab quality and provide a more efficient, effective and sustainable laboratory system that supports Alberta’s ever-growing demand for lab testing, according to AHS.
Clients are currently able to book appointments 90 days in advance, so those looking to schedule an appointment in a hospital facility after Dec. 5 will no longer see appointments available at the Red Deer or Camrose hospitals. Walk-in patients who arrive at a hospital lab after Dec. 5 will be re-directed to a nearby community lab site.
Hospital laboratories will continue to serve immunocompromised patients by physician or clinic referral only.
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