'It's a huge issue for our community': Doctor shortage prompts temporary closure of Milk River Health Centre emergency department
Roughly a thousand people live in Milk River and the surrounding area and all of them are without a local emergency department (ED) for the Thanksgiving long weekend.
The ED closed at 8 a.m. Friday morning, and will reopen Tuesday, October 12th at 8 am.
"This is a temporary measure and AHS is working hard to ensure local residents continue to have access to the care they need during this time," said an Alberta Health Services (AHS) spokesperson in a statement.
"Nursing staff will remain on-site in providing care for inpatients. Patients are asked to call 911 if they have a medical emergency. EMS calls will be re-routed to Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge."
Staffing issues are plaguing many rural communities across the province, and in Milk River it's only getting worse.
"It was never a concern eight years ago, and it's only been recently actually. It's only been in the last year or so," said Milk River mayor Peggy Losey.
"It's a huge issue for our community. We need doctors. Lethbridge is 45 minutes away, and for a lot of people around here, it's an hour before they get [to Milk River] before going to Lethbridge."
Milk River Health Centre, Oct. 8, 2021
DOCTOR SHORTAGE
The doctor shortage in rural communities is something representatives from Alberta Medical Association (AMA) have been highlighting for roughly two years.
But to this point, AMA Rural Medicine President Dr. Sam Myhr said those concerns don't seem to be taken seriously by some provincial leaders.
"The trajectory we are on is not a good one, and despite bringing those kinds of polished presentations to various tables for two years, we've been unable really to make a difference it feels like," she said in a Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs session.
If the current trend keeps up when it comes to the lack of available doctors in rural communities, Dr. Myhr is worried this could be the beginning of the end for rural health centres.
"They are going to close on their own because I see people leaving left and right, and the people that are left are exhausted,"
Residents in Milk River are asked to call Health Link at 811 for 24/7, non-emergency health-related questions.
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