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Alberta Health Services is providing support to cancer patients forced to evacuate the Northwest Territories due to wildfires. (File photo: Pattison Media Staff)

Cancer patients evacuated from Northwest Territories supported in Alberta

Aug 24, 2023 | 10:48 AM

EDMONTON  – Cancer patients who have evacuated to Alberta from the Northwest Territories due to wildfires are receiving help from Alberta Health Services (AHS).

The agency said patients expected for assessment or treatment for a cancer diagnosis in the Northwest Territories can call the Alberta Cancer Centre Transition Team, toll-free, at 1-888-432-8865. AHS said it will work with patients to ensure their assessment and/or treatments are not interrupted.

The agency added that as of Thursday, it has placed 55 Northwest Territories residents in continuing care spaces across Alberta. AHS is preparing to support between 150 and 200 home care clients from the territory. Additionally, Alberta is supporting about 30 obstetrical patients from the Northwest Territories. Care is being provided in Red Deer, Calgary, and Edmonton.

Roughly four patients requiring acute care, along with 19 Northwest Territories dialysis patients, are receiving care at various sites in Alberta.

AHS noted it is providing support services to reception centres currently stood up in Edmonton, High Level, Fort McMurray, Valleyview, Fox Creek, Peace River, and Grande Prairie. This includes services like Addiction and Mental Health, Home Care, Public Health, Indigenous Wellness, and Pharmacy support. AHS is continuing to provide health care services to all Northwest Territories residents requiring care as part of a longstanding agreement between the two provinces.

More information is available at the AHS website.