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(Photo: The Canadian Press)

Calgary’s mayor says closure of Airdrie urgent care centre affects the entire region

Jul 22, 2022 | 3:28 PM

AIRDRIE, AB – Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says the situation at an urgent care centre in the nearby city of Airdrie is dire and will affect the entire region.

On Thursday, Alberta Health Services said the centre is to be closed overnight on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for the next eight weeks due to a lack of available doctors to cover shifts.

It says new patients won’t be admitted after 8 p.m. but nurses will be on hand to triage people who arrive at the health facility and help those patients get to another emergency department if needed.

Gondek says Calgary’s busy hospitals already see patients from Airdrie and other communities around the city.

She adds that some residents who live in north Calgary also use the urgent care centre in Airdrie because it’s closer than any of the city hospitals.

Airdrie, which is about half an hour north of Calgary, is home to about 80,000 people.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2022.