Follow-up on the temporary and partial closure of Montfort's Emergency Department on August 6 and 7
OTTAWA, August 8, 2022 - On Monday, August 8 at 7:30 a.m., the Montfort Emergency Department reopened after being closed for two twelve-hour periods over the weekend.
We would like to thank all the staff members who continue to show up to work day after day despite the difficult circumstances.
The human resource challenges we face at this time are not unique to Montfort, but our unique character makes the situation very complex, as our staff must be qualified AND bilingual.
We want to assure the public and our colleagues at other hospitals in the region that we are very aware of the impact of an ER closure, even if it is temporary and partial, on patients who require care; including our francophone patients who rely on Montfort for care in their language of choice.
We will continue to assess the situation on a daily basis, and continue to make every effort to provide emergency services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
OTTAWA, August 5, 2022 - Ontario is experiencing a sustained pressure on emergency department staffing levels due to COVID-related absences, vacations, staff fatigue and burnout. Staffing pressures, including in the ED, are being felt by hospitals across the country. These pressures were strongly felt over the course of the past few weeks and due to the unprecedented shortage of nurses at Montfort currently, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily partially close our Emergency Department.
The Emergency Department will be closed at Montfort between 7:30 p.m. and 7:30 a.m. on
- Saturday, August 6
- and Sunday, August 7
The last patients will be admitted at around 7 p.m. We will remain open to ambulances transporting high acuity patients.
Residents of the region can continue to access care at the closest alternate emergency department.
This temporary emergency department closure will remain in effect until Monday, August 8, at 7:30 a.m.
In the rest of the hospital, it is "business is usual". We remind visitors that there are some restrictions around visits to a patient's bedside and we invite you to consult our website at https://hopitalmontfort.com/en/visit/montfort-and-covid-19 for the latest information.
The decision to close the Emergency, even for a few hours, is not easy to make, but we have to do it, to ensure our team is able to offer excellent, safe and compassionate care when the Emergency reopens.
We apologize in advance to our patients and their loved ones for the inconvenience this closure may cause.
We also thank all the members of the Montfort team for their continued efforts in these challenging times.