Staffing shortages force another temporary closure at hospital emergency department in town of St. Marys

(Jeff Pickel/CTV Kitchener)

Faced with COVID-19-related staffing shortages, St. Marys Memorial Hospital in the town of St. Marys is closing its emergency department overnight again this week.

The temporary nighttime closure will be in effect Monday, April 18 until Friday, April 22 at 7 a.m., the hospital’s operator, the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA), said in a media release.

From April 19 to 21, the emergency department will be accepting patients from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will be closed overnight until 7 a.m.

This is the second such closure at the hospital in less than two weeks.

“We regret being in this situation again,” Andrew Williams, HPHA president and CEO said in the release. “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.

“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 Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance has previously told CTV News the emergency department in St. Marys requires two trained staff to operate.

During the closure, emergencies will be sent to Stratford, London, or Ingersoll.

Anyone requiring immediate medical should call 911 and paramedics will get you to the nearest emergency department for care, HPHA said.