Due to a lack of clinical personnel, the emergency department at the Edson Healthcare Centre will be without physician coverage from 1 p.m. on July 12 to 8 a.m. on July 13.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) says nursing staff will remain on site to provide triage and assessments, as well as referrals for patients to alternate emergency departments in surrounding communities.
Residents in the area are asked to call 911 in the event of a medical emergency, as Emergency Medical Services (EMS) will still be available in the community.
For non-emergent health questions, residents can also call Health Link at 811, which is available 24/7.
Virtual physician coverage may be available during this on-site lapse, AHS says. The Virtual Emergency Physician program sees an experienced emergency department physician remotely support facilities temporarily without on-site support. Clinical staff can connect with this physician by telephone or videoconference for patients with non-life threatening concerns. This off-site doctor can then work with the on-site staff, speak to patients, order tests and medication and transfer or discharge patients.
The program is currently being piloted in five communities: Edson, Beaverlodge, Elk Point, Hinton, and Lac La Biche.
