Residents in Fort Macleod are concerned following the unexpected closure of one of two health clinics.
The Fort Macleod Family Medical Clinic, owned and operated by Dr. Robert Simpson, shut down Friday and according to staff will remain so indefinitely.
The direct circumstances surrounding the closure are unclear but according to Dr. Steven Beekman, the shutdown is linked to the lack of physicians in town.
“It was not of the desire of the physicians that worked there to close it. So they were forced to do so by events that were beyond their control,” he SAID.
Dr. Beekman is now one of only two physicians practicing in town at the Fort Macleod Medical Clinic.
He expects to see an increase of people in the emergency department following the recent closure as well as the number of families seeking a doctor.
“A lot of people have needs that can only be meant by a doctor that only sees them on a regular basis. Many have chronic illnesses; many have prescriptions that need regular refilling. So that is going to increase our workload significantly if we can’t find doctors to replace them,” he says.
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The news is alarming to many residents in Fort Macleod, like Gloria, who says there was a lack of physicians in town even before the Family Medical Clinic shut down.
“There is a waiting period, if you have an emergency you’re waiting for hours to get in to see anybody,” she says.
Meantime, Rob says he would like to see the availability of more family doctors.
“It really sucks. It would be nice if we had more doctors in our town because if something does happen we’re relying on what, one or two?”
Vanessa Maclean with Alberta Health Services says they are working with physicians in town to recruit and for now will rely on locums and help from the region.
“Currently there are not adequate numbers of family physicians for us to recruit, so we are actively recruiting a few from small rural communities as well as Lethbridge and Medicine Hat,” she explains.
Staff are in the process of contacting their patients and say they’re doing everything they can do help with the transition.
Residents are asked to call 9-1-1 in the case of life-threatening emergencies or go directly to Fort Macleod’s Health Centre emergency department.
If you require assistance locating a health service or facility you can call Health Link Alberta at 1-866-408-LINK (5465).
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