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Staffing issues at Sylvan Lake Advanced Ambulatory Care Service cause weekend closures

Clinic will be closed Sunday and Monday due to gaps in physician coverage
26144185_web1_180412-RDA-Fatality-report-AHS

The Sylvan Lake Advanced Ambulatory Care Service will be temporarily closed over the weekend.

An Alberta Health Services news release states the care centre will be closed at various times due to gaps in physician coverage. Friday, it will be closed between 3 p.m. and 10 p.m. with no new patients admitted after 2 p.m.

It will be closed Sunday, from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Monday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

“All avenues to secure physician coverage for the weekend have been exhausted,” AHS wrote in the release.

“Efforts to secure coverage of other vacant shifts later in the month 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.”

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.

According to AHS, the SLAACS typically 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.