Prairie Mountain Health has announced the temporary suspension of the Emergency Department as well as hospital admissions or the Treherne Hospital.

CEO Brian Schoonbaert says the suspension comes from staff being unable to take as many shifts over the summer months, as attempting to stay open with limited staff could create complicated or confusing situations. He mentions it's for the safety of both patients and residents.

"What we're trying to do with these changes is just to make the services more stable, consistent, and that people know where to access," explains Schoonbaert. "Otherwise, we were going to have a considerable amount of service interruptions, which makes it unclear for everyone."

On top of the closings at the Treherne hospital, the Grandview, Melita, and Souris hospitals are also experiencing closures. For the full list of closures click here.

Schoonbaert adds the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic is definitely playing a part in the closures, as some workers are considering retiring early now that we're moving past it. 

"I would say we've had to rely extensively on the staff to do a lot of mandatory overtime, doing jobs that they didn't have to do or wouldn't be assigned to do previously," mentions Schoonbaert. "But, during COVID, they had to, so they're burnt out and even the agency staff will likely want to have that break in the summer."

Schoonbaert stresses that if you experience a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.