Town of Picture Butte shocked by announcement of ambulatory clinic closure | 24CA News
The Piyami Health Centre has been serving Picture Butte and the encompassing space for greater than 15 years.
However, as of Oct. 15, 2023, the Ambulatory Care Clinic will probably be closing its doorways.
The announcement, made by Alberta Health Services (AHS) on Aug. 10, not solely shocked the general public but in addition caught city officers off guard.
Picture Butte’s director of emergency providers, Frank West, says the city was startled they weren’t notified sooner as additionally they came upon concerning the closure by way of the media launch.
“Our initial reaction was a little bit of shock, like I said, because we didn’t have any prior engagement from Alberta Health Services or forewarning that this announcement was coming,” stated Frank.
Frank went on to say that the city hasn’t had any session with that department of AHS, however with an announcement of that calibre impacting the neighborhood, would have anticipated to listen to a warning.
“We have a diverse and significant senior population here in Picture Butte that we service,” defined Frank.
“And I think it’ll have an impact on not only that population, but anyone in and around the town of Picture Butte, to travel to Lethbridge to access the same services.”
“I think by diverting low-acuity patients that the ambulatory clinic can serve and turning them to emergency departments, whether that’s here or Coaldale or Taber, any of those small regional emergency departments, that’s just one more person that could be kept out of that system and cared for at the ambulatory care level.”
Dr. Riyaz Mohamed, who was contracted by AHS to handle, function and rent workers for the clinic, stated the announcement got here out a bit too quickly, indicating he thought it wanted extra discussions and collaborative workings.
Mohamed, who has been sharing together with his sufferers that he plans to retire within the close to future, stated he thought one thing like this may come up however says there’s no must panic.
“There are some things in place, that I was informed about,” stated Mohamed. “There will be some physicians actually taking over our roles, but nothing has been extensively discussed on it. So, we’ll find out as we go along.”
The doctor hopes that AHS will observe by way of with their promise of hiring two further medical doctors within the space to fill the hole that the ambulatory clinic will go away and construct belief with the neighborhood.
Jesse Tanabe, a scientific assistant within the ambulatory clinic stated this announcement is a large life disruption, as he’s out of a job come the autumn.
“I feel absolutely blindsided and I think that AHS is making a huge mistake,” shared Tanabe. “Especially in light of the fact that they’re not going to be replacing us with a new facility. I hope they reverse their decision.”
Tanabe stated it’s not clear the place he’ll go after the closure however shares that the workers on the clinic are devoted and devoted to doing every thing they’ll to maintain the clinic open.
“It was just incredible to me to find my dream job in my home town, essentially. Now where do I go? I’m not totally sure.”
Global News reached out to AHS to study what sparked the closure and the perceived lack of session, however they didn’t present a remark.
AHS is ready to host a neighborhood engagement session in mid-September in Picture Butte.
The clinic closure won’t impression different AHS providers on the centre together with the laboratory, diagnostic imaging or seniors housing.
People searching for providers for minor cuts and burns, sprains, complications, sore throats, or easy fractures, nonetheless, must go elsewhere come October.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
