LISTOWEL-WINGHAM – The emergency departments at both the Listowel and Wingham hospitals will be closed for a portion of the weekend.
In a press release, the Listowel Wingham Hospitals Alliance say the closures are “a result of ongoing healthcare staff shortages.”
The emergency department at the Wingham and District Hospital will be close Saturday, July 30 at 5 p.m. and reopen on Sunday, July 31 at 7 a.m.
The emergency department at Listowel Memory Hospital will close on Sunday, July 31 from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“This is a temporary measure and our staff, board, physicians and leadership regret that we have to take this step. Hospitals across Canada continue to face staffing shortages, including nurses, physicians, laboratory, allied health and support staff,” states the release.
“In small, rural hospitals, the only alternative when faced with this level of staffing shortage is service reductions. There are additional days before the end of the summer where closure is a real risk.”
The hospitals ask those with a medical emergency to call 911 during the closures. Ambulances will remain available to the community and will be re-routed to surrounding hospitals to ensure local residents continue to have access to the emergency services they need.
For non-urgent health care call Health Connect Ontario at 811, which is available 24/7 for non-emergency health-related questions.
The closest hospitals to Listowel are:
- Palmerston – 16 km
- Wingham – 35 km
- Mount Forest – 40 km
- Stratford – 55 km
- Kitchener Waterloo – 55 km
The closest hospitals to Wingham are:
- Listowel – 35 km
- Clinton – 36 km
- Walkerton – 39 km
- Palmerston – 43 km
- Goderich – 47 km
- Seaforth – 49 km
