Foothills Medical Centre (Foothills Hospital) Emergency Wait Time

Also known as FMC, FHHCalgary, Alberta

Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, Alberta
Open 24 hoursERTreats: Ages 15+
Photo: Thivierr, CC BY-SA 3.0

Live Foothills Hospital ER wait right now

Estimated wait to see a physician

5 hours 8 minutes

Very long wait

Was 5 hr 15 min at

Life-threatening emergency? Call 911, don't wait.

Wait time key

  • Shorter wait: Under 2 hr
  • Long wait: 2 to 4 hr
  • Very long wait: 4 hr or more

Source

Alberta Health Services

We check it every 5 minutes and show its own label for the number. How this page works

What does this number mean?

An estimate for someone arriving now, not a guaranteed wait. It is not the total time at the hospital. Sicker patients are seen first. How Alberta Health Services defines it

The colours are set by us, not by Alberta Health Services. Under 2 hours is the Canadian goal for even the least urgent patients. cihi.ca

How we measure and colour waits

Hospital details

Address
1403 29 Street NW, Calgary, AB T2N 2T9
Phone
403-944-1110Main switchboard. For an emergency, call 911.
Hours
Every dayOpen 24 hours
Who it treats
  • Emergency department treats ages 15+ only
View more details
Health authority
Alberta Health Services
Parking

Parking on site.

Parking information

Departments and services

155 departments, clinics and services

View all departments

Wait times in the last 24 hours

Average published estimate for each hour, in local time (MDT). Gaps are hours with no reading.
Show as a table
Average estimated wait by hour, last 24 hours
HourAverage estimatevs hour before
Yesterday, 8 pm – 9 pm6 hr 44 min
Yesterday, 9 pm – 10 pm7 hr 10 min
Yesterday, 10 pm – 11 pm6 hr 34 min
Yesterday, 11 pm – midnight5 hr 29 min
Today, midnight – 1 am5 hr 8 min
Today, 1 am – 2 am5 hr 12 min
Today, 2 am – 3 am5 hr 1 min
Today, 3 am – 4 am5 hr 32 min
Today, 4 am – 5 am6 hr 26 min
Today, 5 am – 6 am5 hr 59 min
Today, 6 am – 7 am5 hr 17 min
Today, 7 am – 8 am6 hr 37 min
Today, 8 am – 9 am5 hr 58 min
Today, 9 am – 10 am5 hr 2 min
Today, 10 am – 11 am4 hr 50 min
Today, 11 am – noon4 hr 33 min
Today, noon – 1 pm5 hr 7 min
Today, 1 pm – 2 pm5 hr 42 min
Today, 2 pm – 3 pm5 hr 33 min
Today, 3 pm – 4 pm5 hr 13 min
Today, 4 pm – 5 pm5 hr 3 min
Today, 5 pm – 6 pm5 hr 27 min
Today, 6 pm – 7 pm5 hr 25 min
Today, 7 pm – 8 pm5 hr 33 min

About Foothills Medical Centre

Foothills Medical Centre is a hospital in Calgary, Alberta. Emergency department: Ages 15+. This service is open 24 hours a day.

Foothills Medical Centre, usually called Foothills Hospital, is an Alberta Health Services hospital in northwest Calgary, near the University of Calgary and Alberta Children's Hospital. It opened in June 1966 as Foothills Provincial General Hospital and now serves more than two million people from Calgary, southern Alberta, southeastern British Columbia and southern Saskatchewan. It is a teaching and research hospital of the University of Calgary.

The emergency department is open 24/7 for patients 15 and older; children under 15 go to Alberta Children's Hospital. Foothills is the lead adult trauma centre for southern Alberta and one of 10 trauma centres in the province's Trauma Care Alberta network. Drivers reach the Emergency Entrance from 29 Street NW, on the east side of the campus.

The Arthur J.E. Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre opened on the Foothills site in October 2024, and the former Tom Baker Cancer Centre building is now an ambulatory care centre.

Sources: AHS facility page, albertahealthservices.ca, albertahealthservices.ca 2, albertahealthservices.ca 3, cumming.ucalgary.ca (PDF), albertahealthservices.ca 4, Wikipedia

Who Foothills Medical Centre treats

This ER treats patients aged 15 and older.

Under 15? The nearest tracked children's ER is Alberta Children's Hospital, 1.5 km away.

In a life-threatening emergency, call 911.

Foothills Medical Centre departments and services

The official AHS facility page lists 155 departments, clinics and services here, grouped below by area of care.

Key services at a glance

  • Trauma care
  • Stroke care
  • Burn care
  • Psychiatric emergency care
  • Intensive care (ICU)
  • Neonatal intensive care (NICU)
  • CT scan
  • MRI
  • X-ray
  • Ultrasound
  • Lab
  • Cafeteria
  • Pharmacy

All departments by area of care

Emergency, trauma and critical careBurn Treatment Centre - Adult · Cardiac Intensive Care Unit · Emergency Services7
  • Burn Treatment Centre - Adult
  • Cardiac Intensive Care Unit
  • Emergency Services
  • Intensive Care Services - Critical Care Medicine
  • Outpatient Burn Clinic
  • Trauma Care Alberta
  • Trauma Surgery Follow-Up Clinic
Heart and blood vesselsAnticoagulation Management Services · Cardiac Catheterization Lab · Cardiac Diagnostics - Hospital Sites18
  • Anticoagulation Management Services
  • Cardiac Catheterization Lab
  • Cardiac Diagnostics - Hospital Sites
  • Cardiac Function Clinic
  • Cardiac Implantable Electrical Device (CIED) Clinic
  • Cardiac Surgery
  • Cardiology Fellows Clinic
  • Cardiovascular Surgery
  • Cardiovascular Surgery Inpatient Unit
  • Complex Atrial Fibrillation Clinic
  • Complex Cardiac Arrhythmia Clinic
  • General Cardiology Clinic
  • Mechanical Circulatory Support Program
  • Medical Cardiology - Inpatients
  • Short Stay Cardiology
  • Structural Heart Program
  • Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Clinic
  • Women's Cardiovascular Health Clinic - Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction
Brain, nerves and strokeAmbulatory Neurosurgery · Brain Injury Rehabilitation Clinic · Concussion Clinic25
  • Ambulatory Neurosurgery
  • Brain Injury Rehabilitation Clinic
  • Concussion Clinic
  • Concussion Consult / MD to MD Clinic
  • Cryoneurolysis Rehab Clinic
  • Electroencephalography Service
  • Electromyography Service
  • Epilepsy Clinic
  • Evoked Potential Service
  • Hydrocephalus Clinic
  • Multiple Sclerosis Clinic
  • Neurosciences - Inpatient Unit
  • Neurosurgery - Inpatients
  • Neurosurgery Spine Triage and Assessment Clinic
  • Neurovascular Clinic
  • OPTIMUS - Outpatient Treatment in Multiple Sclerosis
  • Sciatica Clinic
  • Spasticity Clinic
  • Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Clinic
  • Stroke Prevention Clinic
  • Stroke Rehabilitation Clinic
  • Stroke Unit
  • Tertiary Neuro Rehabilitation
  • Transcranial Doppler (TCD)
  • Urgent Neurology Clinic
Cancer and blood disordersAlberta Thoracic Oncology Program · Apheresis Clinic · Hematology Clinic6
  • Alberta Thoracic Oncology Program
  • Apheresis Clinic
  • Hematology Clinic
  • Southern Alberta Rare Blood and Bleeding Disorders Comprehensive Care Program
  • Surgical Neuro-Oncology Clinic
  • Surgical Oncology & General Surgery Clinic
SurgeryAnaesthesia Services · Day Surgery Unit · General Surgery - Inpatient6
  • Anaesthesia Services
  • Day Surgery Unit
  • General Surgery - Inpatient
  • Outpatient Surgery Clinic
  • Pre-admission Clinic
  • Thoracic Surgery Clinic
Bones, joints and musclesAmputee Rehabilitation Clinic · Cast Clinic · Hand Clinic5
  • Amputee Rehabilitation Clinic
  • Cast Clinic
  • Hand Clinic
  • Orthopedic Services - Inpatients
  • Physiatry Bracing / Orthotics Clinic
Lungs, breathing and sleepArterial Blood Gases / Cooximetry · Bronchoscopy Clinic · Chronic Cough Clinic8
  • Arterial Blood Gases / Cooximetry
  • Bronchoscopy Clinic
  • Chronic Cough Clinic
  • General Pulmonary Clinic
  • Pulmonary Clinic - Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD)
  • Pulmonary Diagnostics Unit
  • Respiratory Services - Inpatients
  • Sleep Centre
Digestive system and liverEndoscopic Ultrasound Services · Endoscopy / Colonoscopy Services · Gastroenterology Clinic - Outpatients6
  • Endoscopic Ultrasound Services
  • Endoscopy / Colonoscopy Services
  • Gastroenterology Clinic - Outpatients
  • Hepatology Clinic
  • Hepatopancreaticobiliary Group
  • Southern Alberta Adult Home Enteral and Parenteral Nutrition Program
Kidneys and urologyHemodialysis - Alberta Kidney Care - South1
  • Hemodialysis - Alberta Kidney Care - South
Transplant and organ donationHeart Transplant - Give Life Alberta - Transplant (South) · Kidney and Pancreas Transplant - Southern Alberta Transplant Program · Liver Transplant - Give Life Alberta - Transplant (South)8
  • Heart Transplant - Give Life Alberta - Transplant (South)
  • Kidney and Pancreas Transplant - Southern Alberta Transplant Program
  • Liver Transplant - Give Life Alberta - Transplant (South)
  • Living Donor Services - Give Life Alberta- South
  • Lung Transplant - Give Life Alberta - Transplant (South)
  • Organ, Tissue and Eye Donation
  • Transplant Bone
  • Transplant Dermatology
Pregnancy, birth and women's healthAntenatal Consult Clinic · Diabetes in Pregnancy Clinic · Gynecological Surgery5
  • Antenatal Consult Clinic
  • Diabetes in Pregnancy Clinic
  • Gynecological Surgery
  • Maternal Fetal Medicine
  • Neonatal Intensive Care
Mental health and addictionAcute Care Addiction Recovery Program · Addiction Centre - Adult Program · Adult Day Hospital - Addiction and Mental Health23
  • Acute Care Addiction Recovery Program
  • Addiction Centre - Adult Program
  • Adult Day Hospital - Addiction and Mental Health
  • Adult Neuropsychology Service
  • Adult Psychosis Program - Addiction and Mental Health
  • Anxiety Disorders Clinic
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Inpatient Services
  • Clinical Psychology Service - Calgary Epilepsy Program
  • Early Psychosis Intervention Program
  • Electroconvulsive Therapy
  • Emergency Room Outreach Team - Mental Health
  • Mood Disorders Program - Addiction & Mental Health
  • Outpatient Consultation Liaison Psychiatry Clinic
  • Pediatric Psychiatry - Inpatient
  • Psychiatric Adult Services
  • Psychiatric Emergency Services
  • Psychiatric Emergency Services - Child and Adolescent Mental Health
  • Psychiatric Transition Service
  • Psychiatry - Inpatient
  • Reality Challenged Clinic - Addiction & Mental Health
  • Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
  • Transplant Psychiatry
  • Women's Mental Health Clinic
Eyes, ears, nose, throat and dentalAudiology Services · Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Program - Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Screening · Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Program - Postpartum Screening3
  • Audiology Services
  • Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Program - Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Screening
  • Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Program - Postpartum Screening
Medicine and specialty clinicsAdult Gender Clinic · Advanced Venous Access Service · Collaborative Immunology Program10
  • Adult Gender Clinic
  • Advanced Venous Access Service
  • Collaborative Immunology Program
  • Day Medicine
  • General Medicine - Inpatients
  • Home Parenteral Therapy Program
  • Inpatient Geriatric Consultation Service
  • Microbial Therapy Clinic
  • NSWOC Clinic
  • Subcutaneous Immunoglobulin Home Infusion Program
Diagnostic imaging and lab testsComputed Tomography · Fluoroscopy · General Radiography (X-Ray)9
  • Computed Tomography
  • Fluoroscopy
  • General Radiography (X-Ray)
  • Interventional Radiography / Angiography
  • Laboratory Services
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Nuclear Medicine
  • Positron Emission Tomography / Computed Tomography
  • Ultrasound
Rehabilitation and therapyConnective Tissue Disorders Rehabilitation Clinic · Instrumental Swallow Assessment Referral for Rural Hospital Inpatients · Outpatient Dysphagia Clinic3
  • Connective Tissue Disorders Rehabilitation Clinic
  • Instrumental Swallow Assessment Referral for Rural Hospital Inpatients
  • Outpatient Dysphagia Clinic
Patient and family supportSocial Work - Alberta Kidney Care - South · Social Work Services · Spiritual Care Services4
  • Social Work - Alberta Kidney Care - South
  • Social Work Services
  • Spiritual Care Services
  • Transition Services - Acute Care
Food, shops and visitor servicesCafeteria Services - Garden Cafe · Cafeteria Services - Garden Deli · Cafeteria Services - Good Earth Cafe8
  • Cafeteria Services - Garden Cafe
  • Cafeteria Services - Garden Deli
  • Cafeteria Services - Good Earth Cafe
  • Cafeteria Services - Simply at McT
  • Cafeteria Services - Timberline Cafe
  • Gift Shops - The Red Thread
  • Outpatient Residence Services
  • Pharmacy Services - Outpatients (Rexall)

Many clinics and programs need a referral. Check the official page or call the switchboard at 403-944-1110 before you go. In an emergency, call 911.

Foothills Hospital ER questions

Understanding the wait

What is the Foothills Hospital ER wait right now?

At 8 pm MDT, the estimated wait to see a physician was 5 hours 8 minutes (very long wait), according to Alberta Health Services. It changes as patients arrive, and the most urgent cases are always seen first.

Source: Alberta Health Services

How is the Foothills Hospital ER wait time calculated?

Alberta Health Services publishes it as "Estimated wait to see a physician": An estimate of how long it might take from an assessment by a triage nurse in the emergency department or urgent care to being seen by a physician. It does not represent the total time patients may spend at the hospital, and it does not apply to critically ill or injured patients, who are always seen quickly. We check it every 5 minutes. People with the most urgent needs are always seen first, so your own wait may be shorter or longer.

Source: Alberta Health Services

Is there an ER near Foothills Hospital with a shorter wait?

"Nearby ER wait times right now", at the end of this page, lists the nearest tracked sites with their current waits. These are the nearest facilities in our tracked dataset, not necessarily every local care option. A shorter estimate is not a recommendation to travel farther. If it is an emergency, call 911.

Source: Alberta Health Services

Planning your visit

Is the Foothills Hospital ER open 24 hours?

Yes. The emergency department at Foothills Medical Centre is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Source: Alberta Health Services

Who can go to the Foothills Hospital ER?

The emergency department at Foothills Medical Centre sees patients aged 15 and older. For younger children, the nearest tracked children's ER is Alberta Children's Hospital.

Source: Alberta Health Services

Where is Foothills Hospital, and is there parking?

Foothills Medical Centre is at 1403 29 Street NW, Calgary, AB T2N 2T9. Parking on site.

Source: Alberta Health Services

Should I go to urgent care instead of Foothills Hospital?

Call 911 for anything life-threatening. An emergency department is for serious problems that need a hospital. Urgent care treats problems that are not life-threatening but need care the same day. For minor problems, a family doctor, walk-in clinic or pharmacist may be quicker. If you are not sure where to go, call Health Link at 811 for advice from a nurse.

Source: Alberta Health Services

Map and directions

Foothills Medical Centre

1403 29 Street NW, Calgary, AB T2N 2T9

Nearby ER wait times right now

Straight-line distance. A shorter wait is worth a longer drive only if the trip is safe.

Right now the estimate at Foothills Hospital is 5 hr 8 min, about the same as the 5 hr 4 min median across 4 Calgary ERs.

Nearest tracked ERs

ER, urgent care or walk-in clinic?

  • Emergency department

    Serious problems that need a hospital, any time: broken bones, deep cuts, severe pain, or a fever in a baby under 3 months.

  • Urgent care

    Problems that are not life-threatening but need care today: sprains, minor cuts and burns, infections. Hours are often limited.

  • Walk-in clinics

    Minor problems such as colds, sore throats, rashes or prescription refills are often quicker here.

Nearest tracked urgent care: Sheldon Chumir (5.0 km)

Not sure where to go?

Call Health Link at 811 to talk to a nurse. About Health Link

Call 811

Call 911

Chest pain or pressure, signs of a stroke, severe bleeding, trouble breathing, a serious injury, or someone who will not wake up.

Call 911