Bow Island’s ER will open for the long weekend; back to reduced hours after

By Medicine Hat News on May 16, 2025.

The Bow Island Health Centre’s Emergency Department will have extended hours over the long weekend, thanks to locum coverage.

The department will open at 7 a.m. on May 16, and remain open until 7 a.m. on May 20. It will return to the current hours of 7 a.m. Fridays to 7 a.m. Mondays the following weekend due to the still ongoing staff shortage and inability to secure regular and consistent coverage.

Nursing staff will remain onsite to provide care for remaining acute care patients and long-term care residents while the department is closed. Admissions to two acute-care beds have been reopened.

Alberta Health Services says it is actively recruiting for positions in the community and working to ensure local residents continue to have access to the care they need during this time. In the interim, residents are asked to call 911 if they have a medical emergency. EMS will respond to emergency events and support inter-facility transfers to neighbouring sites.

Patients seeking care also can access emergency services at the Taber Health Centre or the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital, both 57 km away, or reach out to their family physician if the issue is non-urgent.

Residents are reminded to call Health Link at 811, which is available 24/7 for non-emergency, health-related questions.

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