August 28, 2023
SYLVAN LAKE – Due to a gap in physician coverage, the Sylvan Lake Advanced Ambulatory Care Service (SLAACS) will be closed on Tuesday, Aug. 29 from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. with service resuming as per usual at 7:30 a.m. on Aug. 30. Though there have been temporary closures during the summer months, recruitment of additional physicians has been successful.
The community should see three new physicians providing coverage at SLAACS in the coming three months, as well as an additional two physicians early in the New Year. Recently-recruited physicians include Dr. Charnette Swanepoel, who has already started at SLAACS as announced in a release earlier today.
This closure is a temporary measure taken as a last resort after options for securing alternative physician coverage have been exhausted. The service cannot operate without a physician onsite.
Patients arriving at the Sylvan Lake Community Health Centre to receive care from the Advanced Ambulatory Care Service during the closure will be redirected to other available care options as appropriate to their needs.
These options include returning when the service resumes, booking an appointment with a family doctor, or calling Health Link at 811 for medical information and advice. Patients can also access medical care for urgent health concerns from facilities in nearby communities, including Red Deer and Rocky Mountain House.
SLAACS offers diagnosis and treatment of urgent but non-life-threatening conditions. Examples of urgent needs include minor cuts or burns, muscle and joint strains, bone fractures, and fever in young children. SLAACS is not for life-threatening emergencies such as heart attack, signs/symptoms of stroke, head trauma, seizures etc.
Patients requiring emergency medical care should call 911.
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.
