MOUNT FOREST – The emergency department at Louise Marshall Hospital will close overnight starting at 7pm on July 20 and reopen 12 hours later at 7am on July 21.
If that sentence sounds familiar, it’s because it is.
The emergency department also closed earlier this month overnight between July 6 and 7.
“A staffing shortage” is being cited again for the upcoming closure, according to a July 19 notice from the Wellington Health Care Alliance.
Emergency ambulances are still available to respond despite the closure, and will be rerouted to another hospital.
Health Connect Ontario is available 24/7 for non-emergency health questions by dialing 811 on a mobile or landline phone, and by teletypewriter.
The closest hospitals to Louise Marshall Hospital are Palmerston and District Hospital (500 Whites Road, Palmerston) at 20 minutes travel time, and South Bruce Grey Health Centre Durham (320 College Street North, Durham) at 23 minutes travel time.
Other nearby hospitals with emergency departments include:
• Listowel Memorial Hospital (32 minutes);
• Hanover and District Hospital (33 minutes);
• South Bruce Grey Health Centre Walkerton (37 minutes);
• Groves Memorial Community Hospital (37 minutes); and
• Wingham and District Hospital (42 minutes).
The Wellington Health Care Alliance notice suggests people contact a hospital before travelling because “they may also be experiencing temporary closures due to staffing shortages.”
The emergency department at Louise Marshall was closed overnight last year around the same time, between July 16 and 17, because of “significant gaps in nursing coverage.”
North Wellington Health Care president and CEO Angela Stanley attributed last year’s closure to a “combination of approved leaves, unexpected medical leaves, and unfilled vacant positions.”
At the time, Stanley told the Advertiser that all hospitals within the network were struggling with a lack of staff.
Obstetrics services were also temporarily cancelled for several months last year at both Louise Marshall and Palmerston and District hospitals because of staffing challenges.
