The emergency room at the Rainy River Health Centre will not close despite the recent departure of a key staff member there.
Wayne Woods, CEO of Riverside Health Care Facilities Inc. here, said Monday that rumours it will be closed are absolutely not true.
He did admit there is a severe shortage of staffing at the health centre but noted the staff in place already have met and adjusted their holiday schedules to accommodate keeping the emergency room open.
Woods said there is an extreme shortage of registered nurses in the area, and across the province. And at a small facility like Rainy River, when one RN leaves, it leaves a big hole to fill.
“You lose one staff member and it can cripple you,” Woods stressed.
Woods said he had received several calls of concern about the possible closure of the hospital’s emergency room. But with the readjustment of staff schedules, he vowed it will remain open 24 hours a day for at least July and August.
During that time, Riverside will actively look at recruiting more staff for the health centre.
Woods added they’re also looking at other areas of the facility where they might be able to put more staff in place to alleviate some of the stress on RNs there.
He also revealed the option of shifting staff from one of Riverside’s other two health centres is being looked at.