Swan Hills Healthcare Centre ED closed overnight until May 6

SWAN HILLS — The Swan Hills Healthcare Centre's emergency department (ED) will be closed from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. until Monday, May 6 due to a lack of registered nursing staff and an inability to secure temporary coverage.

On April 15, Alberta Health Services (AHS) issued a press release stating that regular daytime hours have resumed. The week before, there was no physician onsite in the emergency department at Swan Hills from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on April 2, 3, 4 and 5.

The emergency department had also been completely closed from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. on those dates.

The release states regular overnight hours will resume as soon as possible. In the meantime, emergency medical services (EMS) will remain available to the community and will be rerouted to surrounding healthcare centres as needed to ensure local residents have access to the emergency services they need.

Residents with non-urgent, health-related concerns can also call Health Link at 8-1-1, which is available 24/7.

"We are grateful for the support of surrounding healthcare centres and medical staff and would like to thank the community for its patience and understanding during this time," the release states.