Call Health Link at 811. Staff can help you decide and connect you with information on:
Call 811 to be directed to the right supports for your needs.
Visit Health LinkVisit MyHealth.Alberta.ca for easy-to-understand health information, including:
You’ll also find helpful tools and resources, including:
If you are concerned that you are seriously ill or injured, go to the nearest Emergency Department. Patients with potentially life-threatening conditions should immediately phone 911.
Emergency Departments provide access for patients suffering from life threatening to minor conditions.
Emergency is not a first-come, first-serve system. Critical patients are attended to first. Find your nearest Emergency Department.
See an updated length-of-stay statistics from Edmonton and Calgary emergency departments.
The estimated wait time is approximate, and patients may be seen faster than the wait time indicates. The estimated wait times do not apply to critically ill or injured patients – they will always be seen quickly.
See estimated wait times near youUrgent care centres provide extended hour access for unexpected, but non-life-threatening health concerns, which require same day or evening treatment. Patients coming to urgent care centres may arrive on their own, or be transported there by ambulance. Urgent Care is not a first-come, first-served system. Patients are seen in Urgent Care Centres based on their medical condition and the severity of their situation.
Urgent Care teams typically consist of nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians. An urgent care centre is also supported by an on-site laboratory and x-ray department. Hours of operation vary depending on facility. Please check for operation times and locations.
For serious and life-threatening health concerns always go to your nearest emergency department, or call 911. Visit an urgent care centre for illnesses or injuries that require same day/evening treatment but are not life-threatening. If you are unsure if you should be visiting an urgent care centre, call Health Link for advice.
Common conditions treated in an urgent care centre include:
The role of a centre or an urgent care centres is to provide a transitional step of health service between community physician offices and hospitals.
Urgent care centres have a broader and deeper range of services than physician clinics, but are not equivalent to emergency departments. They also help conserve emergency room resources for more serious, life-threatening conditions.Find Urgent Care Services near you.
See estimated wait times near youIn some Alberta communities, ambulatory care centres provide timely diagnosis and treatment for urgent but non-life-threatening conditions that can normally be treated in a doctor’s office, but which require immediate attention.
Albertans can currently access ambulatory care at the following locations:
Having a family doctor offers numerous benefits, including ongoing personalized care, coordinated healthcare and preventative medicine.
Use the Alberta Find a Doctor search tool to find a family doctor near you who accepts new patients.
Alberta Find a Doctor
Walk-in clinics offer a range of medical services – and you don’t need an appointment. They are designed to handle non-life-threatening illnesses and injuries that need prompt attention but don't require a visit to the emergency department.
Use the Find a Clinic search tool to find a clinic with walk-in service near you.
Find a walk-in clinicHealth Link 811 is a free telephone service connecting Albertans with healthcare professionals. The following health supports are available 24/7 through Health Link:
Nurse practitioners provide a broad range of healthcare services, including primary, acute and specialty care. They assess patients, diagnose and treat illnesses, prescribe medications and manage overall care.
Use the Directory search tool to find a nurse practitioner near you.
Find a nurse practitionerAlberta pharmacies provide clinical services like vaccinations, health screenings and advice on issues like quitting smoking and managing chronic conditions. Many pharmacies offer convenient services like prescription delivery, online refills and medication therapy management.
Visit the College of Pharmacists
Virtual MD provides healthcare through remote communication technologies like video conferencing and phone calls. These services allow patients to consult with doctors, receive diagnoses, get prescriptions and access various other medical services without physically visiting a clinic or hospital.
How to access a Virtual MDAt community health centres, public health nurses provide immunizations, health records, education and support for parents, health assessments and referrals to doctors or community resources.
Learn more
If your family doctor or nurse practitioner needs advice from another provider who specializes in your health concern, you may be referred to see a specialist.
A patient referral is a communication from one health care professional to another requesting they accept you as a patient to evaluate your condition.
For more information about referrals and specialist appointments, view the QuRE Patient & Caregiver Journal.
Call Health Link at 811. Staff can help you decide and connect you with information on:
Call 811 to be directed to the right supports for your needs.
Visit Health LinkVisit MyHealth.Alberta.ca for easy-to-understand health information, including:
You’ll also find helpful tools and resources, including:
