May 25, 2023
SWAN HILLS — The emergency department (ED) at Swan Hills Healthcare Centre (SHHC) reopened this morning, May 25, at 7 a.m., with physician coverage resuming tonight at 7 p.m.
Nursing staff reopened the ED at 7 a.m. to provide triage and assessments, and referrals for patients to alternate EDs in surrounding communities as needed.
Patient safety and care remain our top priorities and we are working hard to ensure the community has urgent care available.
No additional services at SHHC are re-opening at this time. Inpatient admissions are temporarily paused. EMS (9-1-1) is available to the community and will transport patients to nearby facilities as needed.
The Whitecourt Healthcare Centre emergency department is also available for walk-in patients until the physician coverage resumes at 7 p.m. and the Swan Hills emergency department is able to resume the services it was providing prior to the evacuation.
The SHHC was temporarily evacuated and closed due to threat of local wildfires on May 16.
We are extremely grateful for our frontline teams, staff and physicians who have come together to support the response across AHS.
AHS provides wildfire resources for Albertans at AHS.ca/wildfire, including mental health, air quality, and emergency planning links.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Our mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans. Our current focus is on reducing emergency department wait-times, improving EMS response times, increasing access to surgeries, and improving patient flow.
