The latest electronic devices you can use to turn up the heat, turn on your lights and order products through the Internet just by talking to it - you can also ask it for information about Alberta Health Services.

Alexa; Amazon’s Intelligent Personal Assistant can answer questions about health care in Alberta.

You can find out just how long wait times are for emergency wards in hospitals in Edmonton and Calgary and for urgent care centres in the AHS Calgary Zone

AHS is the first public healthcare organization in Canada to offer information to the public with this technology.

Once the AHS Alexa skill is installed on your mobile device and connected to your Amazon echo product, you can say simple phrases such as, “Alexa, ask AHS for emergency department wait times,” or, “Alexa, ask AHS for latest news.”

AHS will continue to add new services to the AHS Alexa Skill in addition to developing the same service for Google Home products and Apple’s soon-to-be-released HomePod product line.

To learn more, visit ahs.ca/alexa.

Patients and the public can also access up-to-the-minute wait times at specific emergency departments 24 hours a day, seven days a week by visiting ahs.ca/waittimes or through the AHS mobile app.

As always, any patient with a potentially life-threatening condition should immediately phone 911 or go directly to the nearest emergency department, regardless of estimated wait times.