Community ‘really, really concerned’ with eight week ER closure
The closed sign is up outside the Chesley hospital’s emergency department, and it’s not coming down, until at least Dec. 2.
“The move is significant. We’ve had closures in the past where we’ve closed overnight, some full day closures. But, we want to ensure we provide safe care and consistency to the community, and we simply do not have enough nurses to keep the emergency department operational for 24/7 service,” says South Bruce Grey Health Centre CEO, Michael Barrett.
Municipality of Arran-Elderslie Mayor Steve Hammell calls the eight week closure of his community’s ER, “terrible news for the community,” saying “a lot of people are really, really concerned, right now.”
“Without a functioning ER, we can’t expect our physicians to be in our community for much longer. They will work elsewhere, and this really is a battle for small town rural healthcare,” says Hammell.
Chesley resident and business owner, Nathan Rhody, is outraged by the news. Fearful for his fellow residents’ safety.
“Other communities are seeing closures, but nothing to this extent. What’s the difference here? All I can see is our hospital corporation isn’t up the standards of some of the other ones, locally,” says Rhody.
Barrett says the South Bruce Grey Health Centre (SBGHC), which also runs hospitals in Kincardine, Durham, and Walkerton, will spend the next eight weeks determining the future of emergency medicine in Chesley.
“There’s no commitment at the end of the eight weeks that we’ll have a solution that will see it reopen to 24/7 service, but we will look at all the options to explore what’s best for serving the Chesley community,” says Barrett.
Rhody was hoping that the closures could be shared amongst the SBGHC’s four hospitals, but that’s not happening, so he feels it’s time for new leadership at the hospital corporation that manages Chesley’s Hospital.
“To see a group of people decide on our behalf that it needs to be closed for a long period of time, is so disheartening,” he says.
“We definitely need help. We need help from the province. We need help from anyone with any good ideas. We need more nurses, that’s what it comes down to,” says Mayor Hammell.
NDP Health Critic, Frances Gelinas had this to say about Chesley’s ER closure.
“Closing an ER for any length of time can have dire consequences, especially in a rural community where people are already driving long distances to access urgent care. For families in the Chesley area to face this reality for eight long weeks is simply horrific.”
The Chesley ER closure is scheduled to last until Dec. 2. The hospital’s inpatient unit, lab, and imaging departments, remain open. A public information session about the eight week closure, and the future of Chesley’s hospital is taking place on Oct. 18.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
Federal government bans watercraft from Manitoba lake popular with tourists
The threat of zebra mussels has prompted the federal government to temporarily ban watercraft from a Manitoba lake popular with tourists.
Her SUV was stolen in Montreal. A Good Samaritan on Facebook helped her get it back
Just as she had feared, a restaurant owner from eastern Quebec who visited Montreal had her SUV stolen, but says it was all thanks to the kindness of strangers on the internet — not the police — that she got it back.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.