South Bruce Gray Health Center (SBGHC) says the emergency department in Durham will be closed from 5 p.m. on Saturday, August 6 to 7 a.m. on Sunday, August 7 and from 5 p.m. on Sunday, August 7 to 7 a.m. Monday, August 8.
“All efforts to find staff for the Emergency Department have been unsuccessful,” SBGHC wrote in a statement on its website.
“We appreciate the community’s patience and understanding as we continue to face significant staffing pressures. This is a temporary measure and we regret that this step has to be taken.”
SBGHC said the emergency departments at Durham Hospital are:
Hanover (20 km) Mount Forest (25km) Markdale (28km) Walkerton (28km) Chesley (36 km) Owen Sound (46km) Palmerston (46km)
The hospital network said it had previously identified potential risks of reducing the service if staffing problems persisted.
“SBGHC had identified that there was a risk of future, time-limited reductions in service when the Chesley Emergency Department reopened last month if the health human resources (HHR) situation further deteriorated,” SBGHC wrote.
SBGHC said anyone requiring immediate medical attention should call 911 to be transported to the nearest emergency department or contact Health Connect Ontario for non-emergency health care needs by calling 811.
In recent months, emergency departments across the province have closed their doors due to health worker shortages, with burnout from the COVID-19 pandemic often cited as a contributing factor.
Yesterday, Montfort Hospital in Ottawa’s east end announced that its emergency department will be temporarily closed at night this weekend as the hospital faces an “unprecedented shortage” of nurses.
The emergency department will be closed 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 AM.
On Friday, unions representing 120,000 hospital workers renewed their calls for the provincial government to take immediate action to address the growing staffing crisis.
Unions are calling on the province to repeal legislation capping public sector wage increases at one per cent, implement new financial incentives to discourage retirements and invest in on-the-ground supports such as childcare facilities.
Earlier this week, Ontario’s Executive Vice-President of Health, Dr. Chris Simpson, told CP24 that the staff 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 he reiterated calls for more financial support from the federal government to address the worker shortage.
With files from CTV News’ Josh Pringle
