Emergency department in Ontario temporarily closing this weekend due to staffing shortage
An emergency department at a hospital in Grey County will be temporarily shutting down this weekend due to staffing shortages.
South Bruce Grey Health Centre (SBGHC) says the emergency department at its Durham site will be closed from 5 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6 to 7 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 7 and from 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7 to 7 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 8.
“All efforts to find staffing for the Emergency Department have been undertaken without success,” SBGHC wrote in a statement on its website.
“We appreciate the patience and understanding of the community as we continue to experience significant staffing pressures. This is a temporary measure, and we regret that this step has to be taken.”
SBGHC said the closest emergency departments to the Durham hospital are:
- Hanover (20km)
- Mount Forest (25km)
- Markdale (28km)
- Walkerton (28km)
- Chesley (36km)
- Owen Sound (46km)
- Palmerston (46km)
The hospital network said it had previously identified possible risks to reduction in service if the staffing issues persisted.
“SBGHC had identified that there was a risk of a future, time-limited reduction in service when the Chesley Emergency Department was reopened last month if the health human resource (HHR) situation deteriorated further,” SBGHC wrote.
SBGHC said anyone requiring immediate medical attention should call 911 to be taken to the nearest emergency department or contact Health Connect Ontario for non-urgent health care needs by calling 811.
For the past few months, emergency departments across the province have been closing their doors due to healthcare worker shortages, with burnout from the COVID-19 pandemic often cited as a contributing factor.
Georgian Bay General Hospital confirmed it has reduced its ICU service this weekend due to a lack of workers.
"We elected to keep our ICU beds open at a lower level of complexity due to staffing challenges, but maintain Level 2 Basic critical care service for our community," a spokesperson said in an email to CP24 on Saturday.
Yesterday, Montfort Hospital in Ottawa’s east end announced that their emergency department will be temporarily closed overnights this weekend as the hospital deals with an "unprecedented shortage" of nurses.
It’s emergency department will be shuttered on Saturday and Sunday between 7:30 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. The temporary closure will remain in effect until Monday at 7:30 a.m.
On Friday, unions representing 120,000 hospital workers renewed their calls to the provincial government to take immediate action to address the growing staffing crisis.
The unions are asking the province to repeal legislation which caps public sector wage increases at one per cent, implement new financial incentives to discourage retirements and invest in on-site supports, such as childcare facilities.
Earlier this week, Ontario Health Executive Vice-President Dr. Chris Simpson told CP24 that the staffing shortage affecting hospitals has become a “crisis.”
Premier Doug Ford said earlier this week that Ontarians continue to have access to care when they need it but reiterated calls for more financial support from the federal government to address the worker shortage.
With files from CTV News’ Josh Pringle
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
The pros and cons of discussing mental health issues in the workplace
A group of lawyers has written what they call a groundbreaking book about how mental health is perceived in the legal profession.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.