LISTOWEL – The emergency department at Listowel Memorial Hospital will be temporarily closed for a portion of the upcoming holiday weekend.
Hospital officials say the emergency department will be closed Friday, July 1 at 5 p.m. to Saturday, July 2 at 7 a.m. as a result of staff shortages.
“We have to adjust services based on the number of staff available,” says Karl Ellis, president and CEO of the Listowel Wingham Hospitals Alliance. “For the last two years, our staff have gone above and beyond and now need a break. We simply cannot ask them to do more.”
Hospital officials say this is a temporary measure. Hospital across the region are experiencing staffing shortages, including nurses, physicians, laboratory, allied health and support staff.
“Hospitals are all working closely together to minimize potential service impacts as a result of shortages,” states a press release from the hospital. “Heading into the summer after a very challenging two years, it is becoming increasingly difficult to staff all programs and services.”
Patients are asked to call 911 if they have a medical emergency. Emergency Medical Services (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.
The closest hospitals to Listowel are located in Wingham, Palmerston, Kitchener-Waterloo and Stratford.
For non-urgent health care, the hospital encourages patients to call Health Connect Ontario at 811, which is available 24/7 for non-emergency health-related questions.
