Staffing shortage to reduce emergency department hours at St. Marys Memorial hospital

St. Marys Memorial Hospital in a photo from the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance's Twitter page.

St. Marys Memorial Hospital will be closing its emergency department overnight Saturday due to “sudden and unplanned health human resource shortages.”

A news release from the hospital outlined the temporary service reduction Saturday noting the emergency department will close at 5 p.m. and will reopen Sunday at 7 a.m. with regular hours of operation (24 hours daily) resuming then.

Hospital officials say anyone in need of immediate medical attention should call 911. Paramedics will remain available to the community and will re-route to the nearest available emergency department to make sure residents continue to have the emergency services they need.

The closest 24-hour emergency departments to the St. Marys Memorial Hospital are:

Officials recommend calling Health Connect at 811 for non-urgent health care. Health connect is available 24/7 for non-emergency related questions. You can also ask your family doctor about any say day appointments or after-hours clinics.