The Tofield Health Centre Emergency Department, located about 68 km east of Edmonton, will be closing overnights in December due to staffing problems. .The ED will be closed from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. seven days a week and open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. effective Thursday, according to a Wednesday press release. .The release said patients who come to the ED during closure hours will be referred to emergency departments in surrounding communities or to the local medical clinic for a follow-up with a family physician..It said emergency responders will divert patients to facilities in Camrose, AB, and Viking, AB, for emergency care as needed. .People are reminded to call Health Link at 811 for non-emergency, health-related questions. They are asked to call 911 if they have a medical emergency..The release said Alberta Health Services (AHS) is grateful for the support of surrounding healthcare facilities and workers and thanked the community for its patience and understanding during this time..AHS continues to work toward resuming regular operating hours in 2023. .AHS had to post 32 notices of no physician coverage or other service disruptions in several rural Alberta healthcare facilities in January and February. .READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Alberta’s physician shortages cause dozens of rural ER closures.There were about 70 notices of no physician coverage or other service disruptions in 2021 and seven in 2020. .With the exception of several calls for volunteers, notices of a few facilities affected due to construction, and a four-day closure notice of the Rocky Mountain House Heliport, AHS did not notify of any physician shortages in 2019.
