Airdrie Urgent Care has been operating around the clock for just over a week, and Medical Director Dr. Elaine Desnoyers said so far, things are busier but good.

"Our staff, I feel, have been really well prepared. We have really good teams, and surprisingly, there's a lot of people that like working nights, so I think things so far are going quite well."

According to Desnoyers, the first two days that Urgent Care offered 24 hour service (April 3 and 4), the clinic did experience more traffic then usual. However, she couldn't say if that was caused by the new hours or merely a coincidence.

When asked about longer wait times, Desnoyers said it is too early to tell if the new operating hours have caused longer waits.

"At this point, with us only being open 24/7 for the first seven days so far, we will definitely be looking into, are there any trends, what do we need to do to mitigate that, how can we manage flow better. We will certainly be watching it carefully."

Overall, Desnoyer said the staff at Urgent Care have adapted to the changes well. Morale is high.

"I think everybody's been ready for this for a long time, and we all see what an important service this is to our community."

 

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