The Sylvan Lake Advanced Ambulatory Care Service (SLAACS) will operate on temporarily reduced hours tomorrow, May 6, due to an unexpected gap in physician coverage as a result of illness.  

The Service will be without physician coverage from 7:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. at which time it will reopen for the evening. Normal operating hours of 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. will resume on May 7.  

This temporary reduction in hours is necessary as the Service cannot operate without a physician onsite. Options to secure alternative coverage have been exhausted, and the gap in coverage reduced as much as possible with support from other local physicians. Reducing hours is a last resort.   

Patients arriving at SLAACS outside the hours of operation will be redirected to other care options as appropriate. These options include returning later in the day when the Service resumes, booking an appointment with their family doctor, or calling Health Link at 811 for medical information and advice.  

Patients can also access medical care from facilities in nearby communities, including Rocky Mountain House and Red Deer.  

Scheduled appointments with other health services  -- including Public Health, laboratory and Addiction and Mental Health – at the Sylvan Lake Community Health Centre are not impacted by the temporary change in hours for SLAACS.  

Sylvan Lake Advanced Ambulatory Care Service offers diagnosis and treatment of urgent but non-life-threatening conditions, seven days a week. These include sudden illness or injury that could be cared for in a doctor's office but requires immediate attention.  

Patients requiring emergency medical care are to call 911.  

Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.