March 18, 2024
TWO HILLS – Following successful recruitment efforts to address significant staffing challenges in laboratory and diagnostic imaging (DI) services, the emergency department at Two Hills Health Centre will be expanding its temporary hours of operation.
Effective today, the emergency department will be open:
The emergency department remains closed weekends.
With reduced hours still in place, patients requiring emergency services are asked to call 911.
Nursing staff will remain in the emergency department during closed hours to triage and assess any patients presenting to the department. Patients will be re-directed to other care options appropriate to their needs, including to other emergency departments as needed, including St. Joseph’s General Hospital in Vegreville, St. Therese Hospital in St. Paul, the Viking Health Centre, or Vermilion Health Centre.
This expansion follows previously reduced hours of service that began in January when staffing resources for laboratory and diagnostic imaging were critically short. While new hires have been onboarded and oriented to site, recruitment continues to restore full hours of operation.
Local residents requiring lab work are asked to please book appointments in advance by calling 1-877-702-4486 or online at www.albertaprecisionlabs.ca to ensure they can be seen on their desired dates. Patients with booked appointments are always seen first, followed by walk-in appointments as time permits.
Full emergency department hours and laboratory services will resume in Two Hills as additional staffing support is found.
Both Alberta Health Services and Alberta Precision Laboratories would like to thank the community for their continued patience and understanding during this time.
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.
