Post Emergency Department Closure Communique
1-4-2022
Dear community,
Last weekend, our community safely got through the 24-hour closure of our Hospital Emergency Department (ED). I am thankful to the many who contributed to the extensive planning and communication to manage our situation.
Why did this happen?
Physicians are engaged by the Ministry of Health to provide Clinic and Emergency services to our community, to the fullest extent possible. Our physicians do exactly that. They have been doing the utmost to ensuring ED and Clinic services are covered. Many are working several 24-hour ED shifts a week, and have been doing so for years, while at the same time striving to offer as many Clinic appointments as they can. Our physicians are exhausted. Rural Medicine is not easy: the scope of practice is huge, travel is prohibitive, and the hours are long and difficult. A missed flight or a day of sickness can tip us into closure. Our physicians have and continue to do all they can to ensure uninterrupted service.
What did we do about it?
Last week, when we were alerted that there was no physician available to cover an ED shift, we quickly reached out to our large network of physicians. This call-out included those who work in our community, across Northwestern Ontario, and well beyond. Until a few hours before closure, we continued to work with Health Force Ontario and other external supports to find a physician to cover our ED. We also explored other solutions. Unfortunately, our best collaborative efforts were unsuccessful in averting closure.
What happened during the closure?
During our ED closure, Land Emergency Medical Services, Air Ambulance and OPP were prepared and present. The Municipality helped disseminate communication. A neighbouring Hospital safely accepted a small number of patients transported from our community. We had no patients come to our Hospital. If that had happened, our nurses had a plan to work with EMS to quickly transport patients in need of medical care.
Could this happen again?
Yes, it is possible, not only here, but across our region. Northwestern Ontario remains at high risk of experiencing ED closures. In the last year, we have seen many other communities like ours narrowly avert ED closures due to severe physician and other healthcare provider shortages. It is a pervasive and longstanding problem, which has been exacerbated by the added workload and stress of the pandemic. This article about NW Ontario's physician shortage paints a regional picture of our situation.
What are we doing about it?
We are actively exploring specific solutions. We also continue to advocate for better, safer, sustainable working conditions for physicians, to safely preserve your access to emergency department services in our community.
Andrew Gloster
Red Lake Medical Associates
Sue LeBeau
Red Lake Margaret Cochenour Memorial Hospital