Another local hospital to close ER this coming weekend

Another local hospital will be closing their emergency room this coming weekend.

The Louise Marshall Hospital in Mount Forest will close its emergency department overnight on Saturday, July 16th, and Sunday, July 17th, from 5 p.m. until 7 a.m. the following morning. The ER will remain open during the daytime hours on both days. In a release, the hospital says the closure is due to "significant gaps in nursing coverage." The hospital is also experiencing a COVID-19 outbreak putting further stress on staff.

The closest Emergency Departments to Louise Marshall Hospital are:

• Palmerston – Palmerston & District Hospital (20 minutes)
• South Bruce Grey Health Centre – Durham (23 minutes)
• Listowel – Listowel Memorial Hospital (32 minutes)
• Hanover – Hanover and District Hospital (33 minutes)
• South Bruce Grey Health Centre – Walkerton (37 minutes)
• Fergus – Groves Memorial Community Hospital (37 minutes)
• Wingham – Wingham and District Hospital (42 minutes)

“The closure is a measure that we regret having to take,” states Angela Stanley, LMH President and CEO. “Our staff have been going above and beyond for greater than two years and we can not ask them to do more.”