Residents of the Val-des-Sources region in Estrie will ultimately not have to worry about the closure of the city hospital’s emergency department. The CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS announced Thursday that emergency department operations will ultimately remain operational 24 hours a day.
In a press release, it is indicated that a doctor from another region will be present in the evenings and nights from July 20 to July 23, a period when it was initially planned that the emergency room would be closed between 6 p.m. and 9 a.m. the following day.
Last Friday, it was reported that this temporary closure was due to a lack of staff. The CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS had justified that “despite all the steps taken and all the efforts deployed” the evening and night shifts had not been filled for the doctors.
He added that other night closures were possible by the end of the summer. On Thursday, teams from the CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS and the Ministry of Health and Social Services said they were working together to meet medical staffing needs for other critical periods in August and September.
The authorities assure that if a temporary closure proves necessary, everything necessary will be implemented to minimize the impact on the population.
Although the emergency room at Val-des-Sources Hospital will remain open, people in the region are asked to go to the emergency room only for cases that require immediate attention, such as breathing problems, severe abdominal or chest pain, major trauma or heavy blood loss.
For non-urgent needs, the Info-Santé 811 service and the front-line access window are options available to the population.
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