Photo courtesy Everything GP Staff

By Erika Rolling

Health

Labs at Grande Prairie Regional Hospital for patients only starting December 5

Oct 5, 2022 | 6:00 AM

Alberta Health Services has announced a shift in operations for the community of Grande Prairie starting in December 2022.

On December 5, the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital will no longer be serving the outside community for lab services in the facility. Only inpatients, ambulatory patients, and those in needs of emergency will utilize the services at the hospital.

The hospital laboratories will continue to serve immunocompromised patients by physician or clinic referral only.

Albertans can continue to get lab services through local community laboratory sites.

AHS says the move is one step towards the larger transition of community lab services from Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL) to DynaLIFE Medical Laboratories.

On the Alberta Prescision Laboratory website, it says there are three alternative locations where laboratory services are offered:

• 9805 97 Street Grande Prairie, in the same entrance as the Peace Country Health Lab Walk in Service.
• Northwestern Polytechnic
• 101, 11002-104 Ave Grande Prairie (coming soon)

Clients can book 90 days in advance and will no longer be able to book appointments past December 5 at the GPRH. Walk-in patients will be re-directed to community labs after December 5.

The GPRH is not the only site to no longer offer the services to members of the community. Others include:

• Alberta Children’s Hospital
• East Edmonton Health Centre
• Foothills Medical Centre
• Fort Saskatchewan Community Hospital
• Grey Nuns Hospital
• Leduc Community Hospital
• Misericordia Community Hospital
• North East Community Health Centre
• Okotoks Health & Wellness Centre
• Peter Lougheed Hospital
• Red Deer Regional Hospital
• Rockyview General Hospital
• Royal Alexandra Hospital
• South Health Campus
• St. Mary’s Hospital
• Strathcona Health Centre
• Sturgeon Community Hospital
• Strathmore District Health Services

AHS said in a news release that the shift in services offered to community members through other lab service sites, “will be better able to maintain lab quality and provide a more efficient, effective and sustainable laboratory system that supports Alberta’s ever-growing demand for lab testing.”