A rural Ontario hospital is closing its emergency department until December due to a shortage of nurses.
South Bruce Grey Health Centre says the Chesley hospital emergency room is closing today with a scheduled reopening date of Dec. 2.
The health-care organization says the decision to close the ER for eight weeks follows a series of short-notice, temporary closures that are not a ``sustainable approach'' for staff and the community.
The health centre says it will evaluate levels of service that can be offered at its four hospital sites during the closure, noting that it anticipates staffing will be a challenge ``for the foreseeable future.''
A news release also notes that the hospital has been relying on agency nurses to fill shifts, but that solution is costly and makes staff nurses feel undervalued because they make less money.
The shutdown follows a spate of temporary emergency room closures at hospitals across Ontario over the last several months due to lack of staff.
Meantime, the Port Colborne Urgent Care Centre will close for 16 hours this weekend due to a staffing shortage. Click here for more information.