Chesley reopening plan 'better than nothing' according to residents

A shuttered emergency department (ED) in Bruce County will re-open on Dec. 5.

The Chesley Hospital’s ED will be open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m, but remain closed every night and weekend, going forward.

“We recognize this isn’t 24/7 service at this present time, but with the amount of human resources that we have available, this is a start,” said South Bruce Grey Health Centre CEO, Michael Barrett.

Chesley’s emergency department has been closed since Oct. 7 due to a shortage of nurses.

Following a huge community meeting about the future of the town's ED, the South Bruce Grey Health Centre (SBGHC) came up with a reopening plan, which is being received with cautious optimism from Chesley's residents and leaders.

“This is a partial reopening, but its great news for our community and we’re really happy to hear that they’ve listened to the community,” said Municipality of Arran-Elderslie CAO Sylvia Kirkwood.

Nathan Rhody, a Chesley resident and former South Bruce Grey Health Centre Board member, said he hopes the hospital leadership can deliver on its promises because any more temporary ED closures will undermine the community’s confidence in the SBGHC, which run hospitals in Chesley, Kincardine, Walkerton and Durham, where there have been ED closures, as recent as last weekend.

“Two of four have had partial closures over the past few weeks, so the fact Durham continues to have partial closures is not reassuring to me in Chesley, thinking we’re going to be able to staff a five-day-a-week emergency department for 12 hours a day,” he said Rhody.

Barrett said the hope is to ultimately return to 24/7 ED coverage in Chesley, but despite the return of a handful of nurses on leave recently, the shortage of healthcare workers is not ending anytime soon.

According to Kirkwood, the municipality has been in meetings with the Premier’s office and Health Minister’s office to keep Chesley’s situation on their radar.

“The foot is still on the gas here,” Kirkwood added.

At the end of the day, Chesley residents appear to be pleased with their hospital’s ED reopening plan, because it’s better than it being closed entirely, which is today.

“Even having five, 12-hour shifts is a lot better than zero,” concluded Rhody.