Milk River Health Centre facing rolling closures due to physician absence

By KENDALL KING, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on January 6, 2022.

The Milk River Health Centre’s emergency department will face a number of temporary closures between now and Jan. 12 as a result of physician absence due to scheduling conflicts and out-of-country travel, Alberta Health Services said in a release.

The MRHC emergency department will close on Jan. 6 at 5 p.m., reopening on Jan 7 at 8 a.m.

Beyond these times, the emergency department is expected to operate on a 24-hour basis, however AHS has said they will provide further updates if there are any changes to the schedule.

Individuals in the Milk River area in need of emergency medical care during these closure times are advised to call 911. Anyone in need of non-emergency care is being directed to Raymond Health Centre or Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge. Twenty-four-hour non-emergency medical care is also available by calling HealthLink at 811.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed the emergency department’s closure times.