The UCP government said on Thursday thousands of new community lab appointments are being made available for Albertans..The appointments — which will be made mainly through hospitals — are designed to help reduce the wait time to access this important health service..“It is unacceptable that Albertans are facing constant delays to get a simple test or blood work done," said Premier Danielle Smith..The UCP government said patients, particularly in the Calgary region, are waiting too long to access routine lab services..To improve access to lab testing, Alberta Health Services (AHS) and DynaLife have made the joint decision to allow Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL) to offer more community lab appointments..The UCP government said APL already handles lab work in all hospitals and urgent care centres in the province and offers community lab services in rural areas.."Lab tests are a critical part of a patient’s health care journey from diagnosis to treatment, and Albertans must be able to access them when and where they need them," said Smith.."That’s why we have directed AHS to make changes right now.”.New appointments in the Calgary area.Effective immediately, Albertans in need of lab services can book an appointment for Saturday, Aug. 5 thanks to the addition of 400 new Saturday community lab appointments at South Health Campus and Peter Lougheed Centre..An additional 175 Saturday appointments will be added at the Foothills Medical Centre laboratory on Aug 12..These appointments can be accessed by calling 1-877-702-4486 and will be available for booking on an ongoing basis..APL is also taking additional action to add 7,500 weekly appointments, an increase of 25% in the Calgary area, by:.Recruiting and hiring more staff so lab services are available six days a week within the APL hospital lab system, which will add 2,000 new appointments weekly into fall 2023.Contracting additional third-party providers to add additional capacity, which will result in an additional 3,000 appointments per week by mid-to-late August in Calgary.Opening a new community patient service centre in southeast Calgary and expanding Glenbrook and Airdrie patient service centres, which will result in about 2,500 new appointments weekly later this fall..All existing appointments and lab services will continue to be provided as scheduled. Albertans can continue to book their lab appointments through QMe (dynalife.ca), or by calling 1-877-702-4486..“I was given clear direction by the premier to resolve the lab service delays," Alberta Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange said.."Today is an important step forward with an immediate infusion of new appointments and hundreds more to come over the next few weeks, said LaGrange. "Our government is committed to ensuring all Albertans have timely access to lab services regardless of where they live.”
