The COVID outbreak at St Marys Memorial Hospital is forcing the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance to close its emergency department overnight.
The closure took effect last night and in a release late yesterday, officials confirmed its due to a staffing shortage because of the outbreak.
“We regret being in this situation again, however the immediate staffing pressures resulting from our current COVID-19 outbreak make temporarily reducing hours the most responsible and safe decision available to us,” says Andrew Williams, President & CEO. “No one likes a reactionary decision like this, most notably our health care team, but it is the right decision in light of these circumstances.”
The emergency department will only be accepting patients from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the reduced hours will continue most of the week, until Friday at 7 a.m.
If you need immediate emergency medical attention you are asked to call 911 and paramedics will get you to the nearest emergency room.
The closest emergency departments are Stratford General Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre, or Ingersoll’s Alexandra Hospital.
Read original story from Midwestern Ontario News – BlackburnNews.com