Doctor warns of temporary closures as Chesley emergency department reopens

For the first time in two months, Chesley, Ont. residents can head to their hospital’s emergency department for help with their health.

“We’re very happy the emergency department is open. It’s not as much as we’d like it to be, but it is what it is. At least, we have some service for the community which is great,” said Dr. Jacqueline Wong, physician site chief at the Chesley Hospital.

After being closed since Oct. 6 due to a lack of qualified nurses, Chesley’s emergency department reopened on Monday.

Its new hours going forward with be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, meaning the emergency department will still be closed weeknights and weekends.

“We’re getting back what they promised. We’re getting nothing more. We don’t know if it will be anything less. At this point, we’re just getting back what they promised when they were closing it down,” said Chesley resident, Doug Walsh.

Chesley’s emergency department has been dealing with rolling daytime closures for the past year, after being closed in the overnight hours for the previous two years. A short lived return to 24/7 emergency department coverage ended abruptly this spring. A community meeting in October brought out most of the town’s 1,800 residents.

The Chesley Hospital emergency department reopened in Chesley, Ont. on Dec. 5, 2022. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

“Years ago, bus loads of people went down to Queen’s Park to fight to keep this hospital open, so this isn’t a new thing for us,” said Walsh.

While the community continues to push for the return of 24/7 emergency department coverage in Chesley, hospital administrators said it will be a daily struggle to maintain their current daytime hours with sick calls and staff shortages.

They expect more rolling temporary emergency department closures this year and next.

“Even today, we had a sick call, so we weren’t sure we were going to be able to open, and that’s the way it’s going to be probably going forward, at least in the near future,” said Wong.

Chesley’s emergency department reopening plan is precarious, but for residents, it’s better than no emergency department at all, which is what they faced over the past two months.

“For the people of Arran-Elderslie, yes, it’s better than nothing,” added Walsh.