Another temporary closure of Milk River ER due to lack of physicians

By Medicine Hat News on February 15, 2023.

A lack of physician coverage is temporarily closing the Milk River Health Centre’s emergency department from 5 p.m. tonight to 8 a.m. Feb. 17, Alberta Health Services announced Tuesday.

In the announcement, it was also confirmed the ER would be closed from 5 p.m. Tuesday to 8 a.m. today.

Through both closures, nursing staff will remain on-site to care for long-term care residents.

AHS is redirecting anyone in need of care during the closures to Lethbridge’s Chinook Regional Hospital (87 kilometres away) or the Raymond Health Centre (60 km away).

Milk River’s ER department is frequently affected by temporary closures, experiencing seven closures since the beginning of the year, four in February alone.

From Feb. 1 to today, the centre’s ER department has only experienced four days with no 24-hour service interruptions.