Inpatient admissions temporarily paused at Swan Hills Healthcare Centre

SWAN HILLS — Due to a lack of available nursing staff and an inability to secure temporary coverage, Alberta Health Services (AHS) is temporarily pausing inpatient admissions at the Swan Hills Healthcare Centre and changing the hours that the emergency department will be open over the holidays.

According to an AHS release, inpatient admissions will be paused from Dec. 22 until Jan. 5, 2024. There will be an exception for two designated supportive living beds, which can be made available as needed.

Additionally, the Swan Hills Healthcare Centre's emergency department will be closed overnight from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. starting Dec. 29, 2023. This temporary closure will end on Jan. 5, 2024.

As noted in the release, this temporary closure will allow existing staff to provide consistent service for 12 hours each day during the times the majority of emergency department and outpatient visits occur.

Swan Hills residents are asked to call 911 if they have a medical emergency. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) will then be re-routed to surrounding healthcare centres as needed.

Reidents may also also call Health Link if they have non-urgent health-related questions. This service is available 24/7.