The Sylvan Lake Advanced Ambulatory Care Service (SLAACS) will be temporary closed for the second time within a week.
SLAACS will be closed from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on July 20 and 21 due to gaps in physician coverage. The service will resume normal operations of 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on July 22.
It was also closed on July 18 from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. because no doctor is onsite.
READ MORE: Temporary closure of Sylvan Lake Advanced Ambulatory Care Service today
Alberta Health Services said options to secure alternative coverage were exhausted.
Patients arriving at the Community Health Centre for care from the Advanced Ambulatory Care Service during the temporary closures will be redirected to other 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 concerns from facilities in nearby communities, including Innisfail, Rocky Mountain House and Red Deer.
Scheduled appointments with other health services – including Public Health, Laboratory, and Addiction and Mental Health – at the Sylvan Lake Community Health Centre are not impacted by the temporary closures of the Advanced Ambulatory Care Service.
Sylvan Lake Advanced Ambulatory Care Service offers diagnosis and treatment of urgent but non-life-threatening conditions. These include sudden illness or injury that could be cared for in a doctor’s office but requires immediate attention.
Examples of urgent needs include minor cuts or burns, muscle and joint strains, bone fractures, and fever in young children. It is not for life-threatening emergencies such as heart attack, signs/symptoms of stroke, amputation, head trauma, seizures, etc.
Patients requiring emergency medical care are to call 911.