Alberta Health Services has announced a new after-hours clinic in Picture Butte. (Photo: Pattison Media)

By David Opinko

After-hours clinic to open in Picture Butte

Oct 26, 2023 | 11:38 AM

PICTURE BUTTE, AB – Residents of Picture Butte will soon see the return of healthcare clinical services.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) has announced that it will open a new after-hours clinic at the Piyami Health Centre.

It is currently scheduled to open within the first six months of 2024 and will restore evening and weekend care options in the community. The exact timeline has not been finalized as AHS is still working to recruit physicians and nurses for the service.

This follows the permanent closure of the ambulatory care clinic in Picture Butte earlier this month. Although that service has now come to an end, AHS South Zone Medical Director Aaron Low said there continues to be a need for after-hours care.

“Opening an AHS-run clinic in the coming year will create a stable and more sustainable after-hours offering in Picture Butte, supported by on-site healthcare practitioners,” said Low.

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According to AHS, the clinic will operate similarly to others in the South Health Zone, such as the Coaldale Health Centre, where a doctor is scheduled to be on-site during operational hours, rather than on-call or virtually.

Cardston-Siksika MLA Joseph Schow said the new model of after-hours care will go a long way in bolstering existing services by family physicians.

“Healthcare needs don’t always emerge between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., so the re-opening of an after-hours clinic in the new year will ensure residents can feel confident in accessing the care they need,” said Schow.

In order to further support sustained healthcare services, AHS said it is working with the current physicians in Picture Butte to consider succession planning.

READ MORE: Ambulatory care clinic in Picture Butte to permanently close

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