The President and CEO of Louise Marshall Hospital says, as much as she would like to, there is no guarantee there will not be more emergency department closures in the weeks ahead.
The hospital announced yesterday it would be closing the department this coming weekend, from 5 pm to 7 AM both Saturday and Sunday.
“Our staffing posiition is very precarious” says CEO Angela Stanley “We are doing everything possible, but I can’t guarantee anything”
Louise Marshall is the first local hospital to take the closure step, although it has been a growing problem in smaller communities over the last month or so.
Stanley says there is no magic wand to provide a solution. Stanley says the reasons for the staff shortage are complex, from compensation, to the added stress of the pandemic and a desire from some in the health care sector to find a better work-life balance.
As the closures have intensifed in the province, Stanley believes the issue is now firmly on the radar of the provincial government. `Urban hospitals, she says, have suffered with the same issues, but because they often have a larger hiring pool, it can take longer for the problems to become apparent.
