Milk River residents at the Milk River Civic Centre for an  engagement session with Alberta Health Services on February 22, 2023. (Photo: Gwen Wirth | AHS)

By Sarah Jones/LethbridgeNewsNOW

AHS meets with Milk River residents over emergency department closures

Feb 24, 2023 | 3:51 PM

MILK RIVER, AB – A community engagement session addressing the physician shortage in Milk River drew over 200 people on Wednesday.

Like many communities in Alberta, Milk River has a shortage of doctors and nurses, which has caused the Milk River Health Centre emergency department to close numerous times in recent months.

The Milk River emergency department will be closed from 5 p.m. on Feb. 24 to 8 a.m. on Feb. 27.

Concerned residents say they want a sustainable plan moving forward, which could create continued support for the community, as well as for healthcare workers, including physicians and nurses.

At Wednesday’s engagement meeting, Alberta Health Services (AHS) attempted to reassure those in attendance that there were no plans for closure or service reduction at the health facility.

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AHS stated that “A new International Medical Graduate (IMG) has signed a return of service agreement with the health centre. The physician needs to complete their Practice Readiness Assessment (PRA) with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) and is expected to start in the community in late spring/early summer.”

Although one Milk River resident, who wished to remain anonymous, indicated that their doctor in Milk River would be leaving by April 20, 2023, after receiving a letter of their resignation in the mail in January.

“People are riled up,” the local said. “The mass majority of our population is seniors, we’re 50 minutes from Lethbridge, and if they can’t drive, what do you do if you have to go to the doctors?”

“We now have residents in town that couldn’t find a family doctor in Lethbridge because we’re told that there are 44,000 people in Lethbridge without a family doctor,” the resident added. “So, they’re [AHS] saying they’re trying to find another doctor. I don’t know, but our doctor here right now covers Coutts, Milk River, Warner, Foremost, all the farmers, all the ranchers.”

Milk River residents at the Milk River Civic Centre for the AHS engagement session on February 22, 2023. (Photo: Gwen Wirth | AHS)

Milk River currently has a physician assistant working regularly, who can report to a primary supervisory physician and conduct comprehensive assessments, make differential diagnoses, order appropriate testing, and plan the clinical management of patients.

While AHS is looking to recruit another physician and nurse practitioner, AHS officials say they’re also in the process of speaking with Alberta Health to develop an Alternative Relationship Plan (ARP) for Milk River.

An ARP would allow physicians to be compensated for providing defined program services rather than a fee for service.

In the meantime, two EMS units remain operational in Milk River, and are prepared to respond to emergency events and support inter-facility transfers 24 hours a day.

During temporary closures, nursing staff remains on-site to provide care to long-term care residents.

AHS officials say they will continue to provide regular updates on the Milk River Health Centre to community members.