Despite issues at other hospitals across Ontario, the North Bay Regional Health Centre says it is in good shape with no threats of department closures such as the Emergency Department, imminent.
"At this time, the North Bay Regional Health Centre does not anticipate having to close units or patient care areas," stated Kim McElroy, interim Director of People and Communications.
But McElroy admits, there are still challenges.
"Like many hospitals in the province, the Health Centre continues to experience similar periods of staffing pressures," she stated.
"As a regional hospital, we staff ourselves accordingly and have contingency plans in place to ensure continuity of care. This all helps prevent a possible closure."
As of August 31 at 11:45 a.m., the average waiting time to get into the Emergency Department is listed at 2 hours and 54 minutes, while the longest wait time is estimated at 5 hours and 6 minutes.
*Wait times are updated every 15 minutes and are estimates from when non-urgent patients are registered to when they’re seen by a physician," the hospital states on its website.
"Due to rapidly changing demands in the Emergency Department and the need to see the sickest patients first, your own wait time may be more or less than the time displayed here."
For more information about the most recent local ED wait time, you can click here.
See related: Ontario ER closures not unprecedented, health minister says
Earlier this August, Ontario's health minister admitted that six Ontario hospitals had to close departments – including ERs – over a summer weekend, but argued that the situation wasn't unprecedented.
With files from the Canadian Press
