The emergency department in Thessalon just reopened this morning — and already another shutdown has been announced.
Earlier this week, The North Shore Health Network (NSHN) said that due to the ongoing doctor shortage in Ontario, officials had no choice but to order a 48-hour shutdown of Thessalon's emergency department, from May 24 at 8 a.m. until today at 8 a.m.
The network now says it's temporarily closing the town's emergency department again, this time on Monday May 29 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
“The North Shore Health Network continues to investigate all possible options to provide safe access to care," says a news release from the NSHN. "Every effort will continue to be made and NSHN is committed to keeping the community informed regarding this situation."
Tim Vine, the health network's CEO, was a guest on this week's Inside the Village podcast. He explained how the situation got so dire, if there’s a reasonable cure in sight — and how he sleeps at night knowing that a community he serves has no emergency room for people to depend on. (You can watch the full interview here.)
During Monday's shutdown, anyone requiring immediate medical attention should call 911 and ambulances will be rerouted to NSHN Blind River site, NSHN Richards Landing-Matthews site,or Sault Area Hospital.
Other available Emergency Departments in the region are:
• Blind River Site – North Shore Health Network – 525 Causley St., Blind River
• Richards Landing Site – North Shore Health Network – 1180 Richards St., Richards Landing
• Sault Area Hospital – 750 Great Northern Rd., Sault Ste. Marie
Non-critical health care can be accessed at Health811 by calling 8-1-1, toll free TTY line: 1-866-797-007, or start a live chat with an advisor online.