Almonte hospital shutting down ER overnight on Saturday
The Almonte General Hospital says its emergency department will temporarily close on Saturday afternoon and reopen on Sunday morning due to a shortage of nursing staff.
In a media release issued on Saturday, the Mississippi River Health Alliance said the decision was not made lightly and "not without every alternative being exhausted."
The alliance said the emergency department has a very small staff with one physician and two nurses working on each shift. If one of them is sick, there is a big impact as there is not a large pool of people with emergency department training to draw from.
The closure will last from 3 p.m. on Saturday to 7 a.m. on Sunday.
Anyone needing immediate medical attention should call 9-1-1 and paramedics will take them to the nearest emergency department for care.
It's not the first time the hospital has temporary shut down its emergency department. In March 2023 and September 2022, nursing shortages led to officials issuing similar overnight closures.
