The recent announcement from Alberta Health Services (AHS) regarding the upcoming closure of the lab services for outpatients and walk-ins at the Strathmore Hospital has raised questions and concerns among residents in the community.  

AHS announced several in-hospital and urgent care labs will shift their focus to the needs of emergency, inpatient, and ambulatory patients, and community patients will be directed to labs in the community.

Strathmore District Health Services is one of many locations impacted by this change, meaning lab services at our hospital will be limited and not as accessible as before. However, James Wood with AHS explained this doesn't mean we're losing services.

"A new community lab is coming to Strathmore as part of the transition of community lab services to DynaLIFE on Dec 5, 2022. The lab at the Strathmore Hospital will transition to provide services to emergency, acute and inpatients, while the new community lab will serve community patients. Strathmore residents can be assured they will continue to access lab services within their own community," he said.

The transition to DynaLIFE services is part of a bigger plan to generate savings, as Wood explained an AHS review showed this switch would create more money for AHS to use elsewhere. He added this transition ultimately won't have a huge impact on us, as:

  • "Wait times for results will not be impacted."
  • "There will be no fees for services. DynaLIFE will maintain the same level/offering of services as AHS/APL did."
  • "There will be no jobs lost in this transition in the community in Strathmore."

Town of Strathmore CAO Kevin Scoble said he has confidence in AHS, and that the Town remains committed to addressing community wellness. 

"Strathmore is an important service hub for our region. We’re confident that the provincial government and Alberta Health Services understand the need for complete care in Strathmore, not just for our residents but for thousands of other Albertans in the surrounding area." Scoble said.  

"Mayor and Council included community wellness as a priority in the 2022 – 2025 Strategic Plan. Our role as Administration is to carry out the action plan that will achieve this goal. Our team is working toward this through several deliverables over the next three years."

In preparation for this transition, Wood said a temporary lab will be available at Bay H - 510 Hwy 1, Country Lane Mall, and expects this location will continue to offer the same services we had before.

"The temporary site will be fully-serviced and patients will not notice it is 'temporary.'"

This temporary location is expected to be in place for an unspecified amount of months while construction for the permanent location is completed. The new facility will be a full-service Patient Service Centre, offering wheelchair accessibility and private rooms for electrocardiogram (ECG) tests, among other services.

UPDATE: 13:12, 10/14/2022

According to Mayor Pat Fule's Facebook page, the new Dynalife facility will be right across the StrathmoreNow/104.5 More Country building, which is 265 Edgefield Place. Construction is currently underway.

 

 

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