Health Minister Sylvia Jones’ office has said it is working on a permanent solution after the temporary program expired, but in the meantime the people who work to keep ERs open are concerned about filling those shifts.
Dr. Ginevra Mills thinks back to a case where she wondered: did her preceptor not know that Crazy Socks 4 Docs is about breaking down the stigma around mental health in physicians?
SickKids’ Virtual Urgent Care program directs patients to the appropriate care after a short online questionnaire. However, the hospital found that not being widely used in lower income communities where families are less likely to have adequate internet access.
Alberta has six urgent care centres in operation and Health Minister Adriana LaGrange says the new facilities would help reduce emergency room wait times in hospitals.
Dr. Sam Wong, president of the pediatrics section for the association, says recent flu seasons have become more distressing for children and patients because of wait times verging on 12 hours.
The Elk Point Healthcare Centre was just one of at least 25 ERs in Alberta that temporarily shut its doors in 2024, all caused by physician or staff shortages and almost exclusively in rural Alberta.
