Hospitals in smaller and rural Ontario communities have been recruiting, training, and poring over schedules in the hopes of avoiding another summer wave of temporary ER closures—though the problem never really went away.
Staffing shortages led hospitals to close their emergency departments for hours or even days at a time during the summer of 2022.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones noted at the time that similar staffing challenges and closures were seen across the country, and that there was a high rate of health-care workers taking well-deserved vacation time.
But the closures did not stop at the end of the summer vacation period. South Bruce Grey Health Centre had overnight ER closures at all of its four sites through the fall, and had to fully close its Chesley ER for two months. The hospital has noted a shortage of nurses there since before the pandemic and the site still only operates Monday to Friday, during the day….