Too few nurses means Mount Forest's hospital ER will close overnight Saturday and Sunday
CBC
The emergency department at the hospital in Mount Forest, Ont., will be closed overnight on Saturday and Sunday because of "significant gaps in nursing coverage," North Wellington Health Care says.
As well, a COVID-19 outbreak at Louise Marshall Hospital is putting additional strain on the system, says hospital president and CEO Angela Stanley.
"Our staffing all through the summer at our sites have has been precarious," Stanley told CBC News.
"Our staff, all clinical providers, direct care providers and indirect care providers, are extremely tired. They have been sacrificing for over two years now in terms of giving up vacation, sacrificing time with their family and their friends. And they are working a significant amount of overtime, dealing with patients who are coming in much sicker."
Stanley said the decision was not made lightly, but after realizing there were significant gaps in staffing, the hospital realized it would need to reduce hours.
The hospital's emergency department will close at 5 p.m. ET on Saturday and reopen at 7 a.m. on Sunday. It will close again Sunday at 5 p.m. and reopen at 7 a.m. on Monday.
Nearby emergency departments are in Palmerston, a 20 minute drive away, Durham, which is 23 minutes away, or Listowel, a 32-minute drive from Mount Forest.
Mount Forest is the latest of a series of emergency department closures or reductions across Ontario. It comes after Ontario Health released new numbers that showed record-high wait times and patient volumes in the province's emergency departments in May.
The Clinton Public Hospital's emergency department closed temporarily closed throughout the Canada Day long weekend due to the nursing and physician shortages. This week, it's had limited hours. It was open Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Seaforth Community Hospital reduced emergency department hours this week, too. It's open between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance website says.
As well, hospitals in Wingham, Listowel and Chesley reduced their hours this past weekend.
"All efforts to find staffing for the emergency department have been undertaken without success," the South Bruce Grey Health Centre posted on its website about the Chesley hospital.
Mary Cardinal, vice-president, people and chief quality executive at Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance, said in a statement on the website that she has heard concerns about the reduced services.
"These are not isolated incidents and hospitals across the province are experiencing the same challenges," Cardinal said.
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