Fort Macleod ER to be temporarily closed Thursday due to doctor shortage
The Fort Macleod emergency department will be closed Thursday due to a doctor shortage.
Alberta Health announced the closure just after noon on social media, saying that that the emergency department will be closed between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The province also announced it will spend $57 million over three years on a new payment model for doctors.
An Indigenous health division will also be established.
"There are no easy solutions to get us to where we need to be on both these fronts," said Health Minister Adriana LaGrange. "We must make primary health care the foundation of the entire health-care system. It will add less pressure on emergency rooms, hospitals and other parts of the health-care systems."
Nursing staff will remain on site at Fort Macleod to provide care for long-term patients.
EMS calls will be re-routed to Chinook Hospital in Lethbridge.
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