Alberta Health Services has confirmed that the Airdrie Urgent Care Centre was closed for five hours early Monday morning, though it has re-opened as of 7 a.m. Monday, March 6.

According to an AHS spokesperson, due to a temporary gap in physician coverage, UCC was closed from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. on Monday morning. The spokesperson added that they do not foresee this occurring again in the near future.

AHS said that they were informed of the issue late Sunday evening at around 11 p.m. and sent out a public service announcement.

Last July, AHS said that the Urgent Care Centre (UCC) would be closing weekend nights starting July for approximately eight weeks. Those closures were also a result of gaps in physician coverage. The 24/7 coverage was resumed in mid-August, with AHS announcing additional funding.

“Four new physicians have been recruited and will start work at the Airdrie Urgent Care Centre in the coming weeks with recruitment efforts continuing to bring on more physicians,”  Dr. Charles Wong, Medical Lead, Urgent Care, Calgary Zone previously stated in August 2022. “These new physician recruits will provide ongoing support and allow us to return to 24/7 urgent care services in Airdrie.”

Additionally, over one million dollars in new funding was also announced to add staffing and three new care spaces to further improve and enhance urgent care services in Airdrie.

The temporary closure comes days after the provincial budget was announced. In the 2023 budget, the province allocated  $3 million for the planning of the North Calgary/Airdrie Regional Health Centre.

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