February brings us Alberta Family Day, and this year we will be recognizing Family Day on Monday February 15th.  A day when  the Wild Rose Medical Centre will be closed for us to be home with our family bubble.

If you do need urgent medical attention please visit the Olds Hospital and Care Centre where one of our physicians will be providing on call services.

Stay warm, stay safe and keep in touch.  Your medical care is important to us.

The Wild Rose Medical Centre has been recently recognized by the Olds and District Chamber of Commerce for 25 years in business.  The Wild Rose Medical Centre opened for business on Monday October 4, 1994, in the commercial building east of the Olds Co-op.  Dr. Steven Turner, the remaining founding physician from the original clinic accepted the award.

From the clinic’s inception the clinic has grown from the original three physicians who created the clinic to the current 17 Family physicians, and have increased in staff from the original 5 to over 20 today.

Medical services provided by the physicians and staff of the Wild Rose Medical Centre have also increased over the years from providing services at the clinic, to also now providing service to the Olds College through a regular College Clinic for students and staff, to seniors residing in the Mount View Lodge, the Seasons facility and the Seasons Encore facility, and to obstetrics patients at the Primary Care Network clinic for prenatal and postnatal care.

It is with great pride that the Wild Rose Medical Centre accepts this recognition.  Serving our community’s medical needs for over 25 years with a dedicated team of physicians and staff is an  honor and privilege.

The physicians and staff of the Wild Rose Medical Centre realize this is going to be an odd Holiday season.  Never before in the course of our knowledge have we experienced a worldwide pandemic restricting our normal traditions of gathering with family and friends.  However, now more than ever is a time to reach out to others, lend a helping hand and do what we can to make spirits bright.  It is certainly not our normal, it is abnormal, so let’s make a new holiday tradition and do our part to get through this.

The Wild Rose Medical Centre will be closed from 12:00 p.m. on December 24th through to December 29th at 8:30 a.m. to celebrate the holiday.  Phones are answered after 7:45 a.m. on December 29th.

On January 1st we will welcome 2021, and what a year full of expectations we have!  Our clinic will be closed from 12:00 p.m. on December 31st, and we will reopen on January 4th, at 8:30 a.m. ready to go for a new year full of hope and promise.  Phones will be answered after 7:45 a.m.

From our homes to yours, have a safe and happy holiday season.

Medical Facts on COVID – 19 from the Physicians of Olds.

With COVID-19 cases rising across the province, and hospital Intensive Care Units filling with desperately ill Albertans, it is time for some facts regarding the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

– SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory virus that is spread mainly through respiratory droplets and aerosols. These particles are coughed, sneezed, or exhaled by an infected person – often up to 2 days before they feel any symptoms of illness. These particles lodge in the mouth, nose, eyes, and airways of surrounding people, then move into the linings of these tissues, and start to multiply – causing the infection known as COVID-19.

– SARS-CoV-2 can be also be transmitted by touching a surface contaminated with particles from an infected person and then touching the nose, eyes, and mouth. This is an important but less common way to transmit the infection.

– Droplets are larger particles that are effectively blocked by paper masks and double layered cloth masks. Droplets only travel a short distance before falling to the ground. However, some droplets are smaller or evaporate into a smaller size and travel a farther distance. These smaller particles are not blocked by masks as effectively as larger droplets.

– COVID-19 is killing a lot of people. It is not just a “bad flu”. Data from the CDC shows that an excess of 300,000 people in the USA have died over and above the long-term average number of expected deaths from previous years.

– Currently, each person with COVID-19 is transmitting the infection, on average, to 2-3 other people. This means that the number of people with COVID-19 at least doubles every 3 weeks. Locally, Olds cases are doubling in less than one week. This increase will continue until the average transmission rate drops below 1.

– Vaccines will eventually help reduce the transmission rate of SARS-CoV-2. The vaccinated person will fight off the infection before it multiplies in their tissues and they will not spread the infection to surrounding people.

– Here is the most important fact – exposure to viral particles is dramatically reduced by wearing a mask and keeping a distance from others. If both people wear masks, the exposure to the virus is less than 1% of what would be found 1 foot away from an infected person without a mask. Please refer to the following chart from a recent study by the Mayo Clinic:

Clearly, wearing a mask and keeping distance reduces exposure to SARS-CoV-2. This reality is not based on politics, ideological beliefs, profiteering or human rights concerns – it is a fact.

Protect yourself and those around you by wearing a mask, keeping your distance, washing your hands, and getting a vaccination when available.

Let us all work together to safeguard the health of our families, friends, loved ones and community – especially those who are at high risk of severe complications of COVID-19 infection.

Sincerely,

Dr. Allan Hoeve Dr. Steven Turner Dr. Gert Nel
Dr. Du Duong Dr. Martha Ingles Dr. Jaco Hoffman
Dr. Foose Onsongo Dr. Leoni Kelly Dr. Kimberly Dykin
Dr. Joanna Slusar Dr. Maria Lee Dr. Murray Rodych
Dr. Michael Blackshaw Dr. Ebeth Hoffman Dr. LeeAnna Blackshaw
Dr. Vicki Wielenga Dr. Orest Kutskyy Dr. Kevin Lanni
Dr. Rebecca Sloan

In order to keep our clinic open, and our patients, staff, and physicians safe, the staff at the Wild Rose Medical Centre ask a series of screening questions. This is extremely important. We need everyone to be honest with us, when answering these questions, to ensure that we will be able to keep the clinic open.
If our staff and physicians are unexpectantly exposed to COVID19 they will be unable to work for two weeks. This will have significant impact on the care that you are able to receive at the clinic AND at the hospital.

If doctors are not able to work, at the clinic or at the hospital, and if staff are not able to work your access to care will be affected.

Thank you for helping to keep our staff and physicians at work, and our clinic open to provide you with the care you need.

We are all in this together, and we need to help each other by wearing a mask, hand hygiene, social distancing, and answering screening questions.

Hello little people!  If you are two or older we are asking you to wear a mask when you visit us at the clinic.  Just like your parents and care givers we all need to be safe when we are out.

Mask wearing, hand hygiene, and social distancing will help us all get through the Covid 19 pandemic.

We know that this is not our normal, and it is not your normal either.  It causes us to be uncertain.  With patience and care we will work through the pandemic together.

Thank you for your care, patience and understanding.  We are all in this together, and together we will also get through this!

Thank you for wearing a mask, for washing your hands and keeping a safe distance from others while conducting business.

WE are ALL  in this situation together, and we all need to do our part to keep ourselves and others safe.

Your care and safety are our number 1 priority.  Thank you for wearing a mask, for washing/sanitizing your hands and for following social distancing protocol.  By wearing masks when social distancing is difficult keeps us all safe.  Together we will get through the COVID-19 pandemic.  It is up to all of us to keep each other safe and healthy. Thanks for doing your part, it helps everyone stay safe!

The Wild Rose Medical Centre is open for business, and has been throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.  The safety of our patients is our priority and we have ensured that all measures have been taken to keep our patients and staff safe and comfortable when visiting our facility for medical care.

Physicians will be back to a regular schedule commencing July 27th so there will be lots of availability for you to come and see your Family Physician, or other health care provider.  Give the clinic a call, at 403-556-7130 to book your appointment.  Remember that appointments to see a physician must be made before visiting the clinic.  This helps us to complete screening processes to ensure you are receiving the correct medical care for your situation.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we all sort out our new way of staying safe during this unprecedented time.  Together we are stronger, and safer.  We appreciate your business, in providing us with the opportunity to care for you and your family.

Enjoy our lovely weather, take some time to enjoy the sunshine, and fresh air!

Thank you so much to our local Cam Clark Ford Dealership who graciously donated Face Shields to the Wild Rose Medical Centre.  These Face Shields will be used by our staff and physicians as they care for patients at the clinic here in Olds.

We are OPEN for business and take great care to ensure your health and safety are our number one priority.