Peel Memorial closes urgent care centre amid 'extreme' capacity and staffing pressures
The urgent care centre at Peel Memorial Centre for Integrated Health and Wellness in Brampton will be closed until at least Feb. 1 amid “extreme capacity and staffing shortages.”
William Osler Health System made the announcement Monday evening after previously announcing the urgent care centre would be closed until Jan. 10.
“Due to increasing volumes in our Emergency Departments, further compounded by our extreme capacity and staffing pressures, Osler has made the very difficult decision to temporarily close its Urgent Care Centre at Peel Memorial until at least February 1, 2022,” a statement issued on their website said.
“This closure will help to direct the highly skilled staff and physicians to where demand is the greatest.”
Amid the recent surge of COVID-19 cases across Ontario fuelled by the Omicron variant, hospitals are continuing to grapple with staffing shortages and higher than normal patient volumes.
Last week, staffing shortages and increased patient volume saw William Osler Health System declare a ‘code orange’ across its hospital network.
The temporary measure, called off on Jan. 5, allowed patients to be transferred to neighbouring hospitals in order to free up capacity.
In response to the urgent care centre's closure, MPP for Brampton North, Kevin Yarde, MPP for Brampton Centre, Sara Singh and Deputy Opposition House Leader for the NDP, Gurratan Singh, released a joint statement Monday evening.
“The temporary closure of Peel Memorial's Urgent Care Centre is a scary development for patients and their families,” the statement read
“No one should have to worry that a loved one might not get the care they need in an emergency.”
The statement calls on the Ford government to repeal Bill 124, which limits regular annual salary increases for nurses and other public sector employees to one per cent for each 12-month period, provide Ontario health care workers with danger pay and implement the Canadian Armed Forces for emergency staffing in hospitals where needed across the province.
William Osler recommends that patients visit their family doctor for non-emergent concerns during the closure.
Osler’s other emergency departments, including those at Brampton Civic and Etobicoke General, remain open.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
1 killed, 3 injured in head-on crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Significant police presence as Israeli flag flies at Ottawa City Hall
The Israeli flag is flying at Ottawa City Hall today to mark the country's national day, with plans to hold a private ceremony to mark Israel's Independence Day. There is a significant police presence at City Hall, including security barriers outside the main doors.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
8 dead, at least 40 injured as farmworkers' bus overturns in central Florida
A bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida overturned on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about 40 other passengers, authorities said.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.