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Mount Forest, Ont. hospital forced to temporarily close emergency department

Staffing shortages force ER shutdowns
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The Louise Marshall Hospital in Mount Forest, Ont. is the latest health centre to feel the strain of staffing shortages.

On Monday, July 11,  the hospital announced its emergency department will be closed overnight on Saturday, July 16 from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. and Sunday, July 17 from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m.

The emergency department will remain open during daytime hours on both Saturday and Sunday.

“This temporary closure is due to significant gaps in nursing coverage. LMH is also experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak which is putting additional strain on the hospital system,” a media release from North Wellington Healthcare said.

The hospital declared a COVID-19 outbreak on Saturday with two hospital-acquired infections identified on the inpatient unit.

“The closure is a measure that we regret having to take,” said Angela Stanley, LMH president and CEO. “Our staff have been going above and beyond for greater than two years and we can not ask them to do more.”

Several local hospitals have been impacted by the staffing shortage with temporary closures in six small southwestern Ontario town hospitals announced last week.

Anyone requiring immediate medical attention should call 9-1-1. Paramedics will get you to the nearest Emergency Department for care.

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