The Piyami Health Centre has been serving Picture Butte and the surrounding area for more than 15 years.
However, as of Oct. 15, 2023, the Ambulatory Care Clinic will be closing its doors.
The announcement, made by Alberta Health Services (AHS) on Aug. 10, not only surprised the public but also caught town officials off guard.
Picture Butte’s director of emergency services, Frank West, says the town was startled they weren’t notified sooner as they also found out about the closure through the media release.
“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,” said Frank.
Frank went on to say that the town hasn’t had any consultation with that branch of AHS, but with an announcement of that calibre impacting the community, would have expected to hear a warning.
“We have a diverse and significant senior population here in Picture Butte that we service,” explained 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 manage, operate and hire staff for the clinic, said the announcement came out a little too soon, indicating he thought it needed more discussions and collaborative workings.
Mohamed, who has been sharing with his patients that he plans to retire in the near future, said he thought something like this might come up but says there’s no need to panic.
“There are some things in place, that I was informed about,” said 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 physician hopes that AHS will follow through with their promise of hiring two additional doctors in the area to fill the gap that the ambulatory clinic will leave and build trust with the community.
Jesse Tanabe, a clinical assistant in the ambulatory clinic said this announcement is a huge life disruption, as he’s out of a job come the fall.
“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 said it’s not clear where he will go after the closure but shares that the staff at the clinic are devoted and dedicated to doing everything they can to keep 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 learn what sparked the closure and the perceived lack of consultation, but they did not provide a comment.
AHS is set to host a community engagement session in mid-September in Picture Butte.
The clinic closure will not impact other AHS services at the centre including the laboratory, diagnostic imaging or seniors housing.
People seeking services for minor cuts and burns, sprains, headaches, sore throats, or simple fractures, however, will have to go elsewhere come October.
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