1 out of every 5 hospitals with an ER or urgent care centre had unplanned shutdowns

Julie Ireton, Valerie Ouellet · CBC News · Posted: Dec 02, 2024 4:00 AM EST

Timing was everything for Bruce Pieroway when he suffered a heart attack in late October in the rural farming community of Chesley, Ont., about two hours north of Kitchener.
It happened early on a Monday afternoon when the town's only emergency room was still open.
"The worst thing about the hospital here is you don't know whether it's open or closed," said Pieroway, referring to Chesley's ER, which has faced chronic closures since 2022 and now only operates between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday to Friday.
For Pieroway, who is 70, the next closest emergency department is a 25-minute drive away.
But fortunately, at 2 p.m. that October day, the Chesley ER was open and hospital staff were able to get him stabilized.
Over the past three years, at least 38 Ontario hospitals with emergency rooms or urgent care centres (UCCs) have experienced closures — about one in five of 176 publicly funded facilities.
Most are in rural areas. And Chesley's ER tops the list with the highest number of hours closed.
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