Ontario hospital closing health centre in Niagara due to staff shortage

Published January 5, 2022 at 11:48 am

Niagara Health is shutting down its urgent health centre in Fort Erie, Ont., on Thursday due to shortages of staff and increasing numbers of COVID-19 patients.

The hospital says nurses and doctors working there will be redeployed to other emergency departments in the region.

Residents needing health care are asked to contact their doctors, access the urgent care centre in Port Colborne, Ont., or go to the nearest emergency department.

Other hospitals in Ontario are being forced to cancel surgeries and redeploy their staff to provide care for the surging numbers of COVID-19 patients.

Bluewater Health hospital in Sarnia, Ont., says it has reopened a COVID-19 health unit as the number of COVID-19 patients in the hospital quadrupled from seven to 31 patients during the last two weeks.

The hospital says it had to cancel most surgeries as the number of staff on sick leave increased to five times the usual number.