Fort Macleod temporarily closes emergency department due to physician shortage

The emergency room at Fort Macleod is closed Monday until 7 p.m. due to a physician shortage.

Alberta Health Services announced a temporary closure of the Fort Macleod Health Centre’s Emergency Department Monday due to a lack of available physicians.

The closure started Monday at 7 a.m. and was expected to continue until 7 p.m. Monday night.

Nursing staff remained on-site during the closure to provide care for long-term residents, as AHS said it was working hard to ensure local patients can still have access to the care they need during this time.

But this leaves many in the community with few options in the event of a medical emergency.

Anyone requiring assistance before 7 p.m. will need to be rerouted just under 50 kilometres away to Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge.