The urgent care centre at the Airdrie Community Health Centre (ACHC) will resume 24/7 hours of operations on Friday. .“Four new physicians have been recruited and will start work at the Airdrie Urgent Care Centre in the coming weeks with recruitment efforts continuing to bring on more physicians,” said Dr. Charles Wong, Alberta Health Services (AHS) Calgary Zone medical lead, urgent care, in a Thursday press release..“These new physician recruits will provide ongoing support and allow us to return to 24/7 urgent care services in Airdrie.”.AHS said on July 21 the urgent care centre at the ACHC will be closed overnights from Friday to Sunday for eight weeks because of gaps in medical coverage. .READ MORE: Airdrie urgent care unit to close on weekend nights for two months.“All patients in need of emergency care will receive it,” said AHS Calgary Zone. .“Patients presenting to the Urgent Care Centre during the closure will be assessed, triaged and referred to alternative sites or to local medical clinics for follow up, depending on their needs.”.The release said more than $1 million in new funding will increase staffing and create three new care spaces to improve services in Airdrie. .After ongoing conversations with staff and physicians about how they could enhance urgent care services, AHS said it plans to launch a new fast track care model for patients with less serious health issues. Nurse practioners and registered nurses will be recruited to support this initiative. .“The Fast Track area will have three dedicated care spaces and see medically stable patients with concerns such as sprains and cuts, mild to moderate respiratory illness such as sore throats and coughs, mild to moderate pain such as headaches, urinary tract infections, skin infections or rashes,” said Amanda Gosselin, AHS Calgary Zone director, rural health..“This will enable the other medical staff to focus on those patients with more serious concerns.”.More staff are being recruited to improve triage and patient flow during peak hours. Registered and practical nurses will be hired to support patient triage, which will reduce wait times to be seen by first care providers. .The urgent care centre sees and cares for between 130 and 140 patients every day. The three care spots will bring the capacity to 16 treatment spaces. .Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping welcomed the news on Twitter. ."Glad to see the Airdrie UCC return to regular 24/7 service,” said Copping. .“Thank you to @AHS_media for ensuring timely access to care for those in need during the disruption.”
