The emergency department at Beaverlodge Municipal Hospital will be without an on-site doctor for parts of this week because of a staffing shortage.
Alberta Health Services says the disruption is expected to run from 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25, to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26, and again from 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27 to 8 a.m. Friday, Aug. 28.
A virtual emergency physician may be available during some or all of those periods. The service allows an emergency doctor to support the hospital remotely while local nursing staff remain on site to assess patients and arrange transfers to other emergency departments when needed.
AHS says people experiencing a medical emergency should call 911. Emergency medical services will continue to operate in the area, although patients may be taken to another facility.
For non-emergency health questions, residents can call Health Link at 811. AHS says it is continuing to look for temporary physician coverage and the disruption will be cancelled if coverage is found.
