November 26, 2012
EDMONTON – Local residents can now access urgent care every day of the year at the East Edmonton Health Centre.
Introduced at the facility earlier this month, urgent care treats unexpected, non-life threatening conditions that require same-day attention but are not serious enough to require a visit to the emergency department. These conditions include minor strains, sprains and fractures, cuts, asthma, dehydration, infections, sore throats, earaches, and abdominal complaints.
“Opening this Urgent Care Clinic will provide same-day care for unexpected health needs that don’t require a hospital,” says Fred Horne, Minister of Health. “That’s good for patients at the clinic and for those waiting in emergency.”
Health First Strathcona, in Sherwood Park, is the only other urgent care facility within the Edmonton Zone of Alberta Health Services (AHS).
The East Edmonton Health Centre will offer urgent care services on a walk-in basis Monday to Friday from 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and weekends and statutory holidays from 3 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
Patients will be able to access physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, social workers, laboratory services and diagnostic services.
About 20,000 urgent care visits a year are expected at the centre.
“This represents a significant increase in improving access to urgent after-hours health care services in this community. This co-location with the Family Care Centre will also provide the opportunity to link patients with a primary care physician if they do not already have one,” says Mike Conroy, Senior Vice-President, AHS Edmonton Zone.
The East Edmonton Health Centre serves a population of more than 65,000, which includes more than 7,000 seniors and 9,000 students in 25 schools. The facility is also home to the Edmonton Zone’s first Family Care Clinic, which opened this past April. In its first year, the clinic is expected to serve about 3,500 residents who don’t have a consistent primary care provider.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than 3.8 million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
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