EMS to collaborate with on-call physician to support patients locally

BIG COUNTRY HOSPITAL STILL TEMPORARILY CLOSED FROM 7 PM - 7 AM

The Oyen Big Country emergency department (ED) will continue to be temporarily closed daily from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., due to a lack of nursing staff.

For 911 calls between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., EMS teams will work collaboratively with the on-call physician in Oyen to determine the patient’s needs and whether they can be treated locally and released or transported to another ED.

The ED will remain open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. with nursing staff on site and a physician on-call.   Patients are asked to call 911 if they have a medical emergency.

This is a temporary measure and Alberta Health Services (AHS) is working to ensure local residents continue to have access to the care they need during this time. Nursing staff will remain on-site overnight providing care for long-term care residents.  Patients seeking care during the closure in Oyen can access emergency services anytime at:

• Hanna Health Centre - 113 km away

• Coronation Hospital - 135 km away

• Provost Health Centre - 140 km away

• Brooks Health Centre - 187 km away

• Medicine Hat Regional Hospital - 196 km away

Residents can also call Health Link at 811, which is available 24/7 for non-emergency, health-related questions. Individuals requiring non-emergency medical care are also encouraged to call their family physician.

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. Our mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans. Our current focus is on reducing emergency department wait-times, improving EMS response times, increasing access to surgeries, and improving patient flow.