Alberta Health Services has closed a few facilities in southern Alberta due to flooding and is keeping an eye on the quality of the drinking water.

On Friday afternoon, the High River Hospital was evacuated and patients were moved to other facilites.

There are 47 acute care patients and 75 long-term care residents in High River.

Families with patients at High River Hospital will be contacted and told where their loved ones have been moved to.

Families can also call Health Link at 1-866-408-5465 for additional information.

AHS officials say residents of Agape Hospice and two continuing care sites, Bowview Manor and BowCrest Centre, are also being relocated.

“We continue to monitor patients and assess their needs,” said Dr. David Megran, Chief Medical Officer, Alberta Health Services. “These evacuations will take some time and will be done in an orderly way with a focus on patient care before, during and after transport.”

Those with family members at the Bowview and BowCrest continuing care sites and Agape Hospice are asked to call those sites directly.

AHS says it is also monitoring the impact of flooding on several other sites, including the Canmore General Hospital and the Oilfields General Hospital in Black Diamond.

The Sheldon M. Chumir Urgent Care Centre is closed and all services at the facility have been postponed for Friday and until further notice.

The Holy Cross building is under mandatory evacuation order. All AHS clinics there will be closed on Friday and patient appointments postponed.

Cancer services at Tom Baker Cancer Centre are not impacted by this issue.

All Emergency Departments in the city of Calgary remain open. Anyone experiencing a medical emergency should call 9-1-1.

AHS officials say that there are no issues with municipal water quality in the City of Calgary and a no boil water advisory is not currently in place for Calgary.

Officials are asking Calgarians to conserve water as the treatment plant is going full out to filter the water and that is slowing down the system.

Flood-related Boil Water Orders are currently in effect for:

  • Lake Louise Ski Resort.
  • Town of High River (all users of the Town of High River drinking water supply)
  • Harvie Heights Water System in the Municipal District of Big Horn
  • Water users east of Cougar Creek in the neighbourhood of Cougar Creek, Canmore
  • Water users on Eagle Road and on Catamount Court in Canmore
  • The Elk Run Industrial area in Canmore