The emergency room at the Central Peace Health Complex will close for 24 hours, starting at 8 a.m. August 12 (Photo: Google Maps)

By Shaun Penner

Central Peace Health Complex

UPDATE: Emergency room in Spirit River to reopen Thursday evening

Aug 12, 2021 | 7:36 AM

UPDATE: AHS says the emergency room at the Central Peace Health Complex will resume normal operations at 8 p.m. Thursday, as physician coverage has been secured.

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With no on-site physician being available, the emergency room at the Central Peace Health Complex in Spirit River will be closed for a period of 24 hours, starting on Thursday, August 12 at 8 a.m., reopening at 8 a.m. on Friday, August 13.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) says nursing staff will still be on-site to provide triage, assessments and referrals to other area emergency departments.

Those who require Emergency Medical Services (EMS) will be taken to either the Fairview Health Complex (55 kilometres from Spirit River), the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Grande Prairie (80 km from Spirit River) or the Valleyview Health Centre (164 km from Spirit River).

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“This is a temporary measure and AHS is working hard to ensure local residents continue to have access to the care they need during this time,” AHS officials state in an announcement sent out late Wednesday.

Patients are reminded to still call 911 if they have a medical emergency. Non-emergency health-related inquiries can be made by calling Health Link at 811, 24 hours per day.

This temporary closure adds to the list of temporary closures this summer at other Peace Region ERs, including several at the Fairview Health Complex and in McLennan.

READ MORE: MLA Loewen says new physicians slated to come to Fairview, no word yet on McLennan