Achi news desk-
The emergency room at Listowel hospital is open today, but come summer, their obstetrics unit will be temporarily closing its delivery rooms.
“We have six out of eight full-time obstetrics staff who are going to be away on maternity leave, so we are temporarily closing our obstetrics unit from April 28 until mid-September,” said Mary- Lou Albers, manager of clinical services for Listowel Memorial Hospital.
Albers said the six registered nurses who will be on maternity leave this summer are expected to return. He said that the hospital executive, and the nurses themselves, had looked at every solution to try and keep the hospital’s maternity ward open, but they could not find a solution that worked.
“The nearest obstetric units are in Kitchener, Stratford, Hanover, Walkerton, and Goderich. Families will work with their primary care providers, doctors, midwives, nurse practitioners to come up with a plan,” said Listowel Memorial Hospital CEO Karl Ellis.
Although no babies will be born in Listowel’s maternity ward this summer, as 130 babies are normally born in Listowel’s obstetrics unit each year.
The obstetrics unit at Listowel Memorial Hospital, seen on March 28, 2024, will close between April 28 and mid-September, because six of eight registered nurses in the department are going on maternity leave. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
A third are with midwives, and two thirds use the hospital’s doctors, according to Ellis.
While some “temporary closures” of emergency rooms across Ontario have become permanent ER closures due to nursing shortages, both Ellis and Albers are extremely confident that Listowel’s obstetrics closure will only be for the summer.
“We have a dedicated group of doctors, leadership staff, and nursing staff in this area. They are collectively committed to seeing this service resume in mid-September,” said Ellis.
“They are [the nurses] choose to raise their families here, and they are all truly passionate about obstetrics. So, I am very confident that we will have our obstetrics department back in mid-September, as planned,” said Albers.
You can learn more about the temporary OB closure by visiting their website.
The obstetrics unit at Listowel Memorial Hospital, seen on March 28, 2024, will close between April 28 and mid-September, because six of eight registered nurses in the department are going on maternity leave. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
