Alberta Health Services (AHS) has advised the Ponoka Hospital and Care Centre’s emergency department will close overnight on Saturday, Oct. 14 due to “unexpected gaps in physician coverage.”
The emergency department (ED) will be closed from 5 p.m. on Oct. 14, to 8 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 15.
Patients coming to the ED during this time will be assessed by nursing staff and referred to other hospitals as needed. EMS will likewise re-route to other surrounding hospitals if necessary during this time.
Those hospitals include the Lacombe Hospital and Care Centre (35 kilometres away), Wetaskiwin Hospital and Care Centre (40 km away), and Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre (56 km away).