Arnprior hospital closing emergency department next two nights

ARNPRIOR – The Arnprior hospital is the latest hospital to close its emergency department due to a staff shortage, and will be doing so Friday (May 19) and Saturday (May 20) this long weekend.

Today (May 19) Arnprior Regional Health (ARH) announced it will be closing the emergency department overnight tonight (May 19) due to staffing “challenges.”

“The ARH emergency department will close overnight on Friday, May 19, from 7:30 p.m. to Saturday, May 20 at 7:30 a.m. and then again on Saturday, May 20 at 7:30 p.m. to Sunday, May 21 at 7:30 a.m. due to unexpected staffing challenges this weekend,” ARH communications manager Melissa McDermott released in a statement today (May 19).

The Almonte hospital closed overnight last night (May 18) and many Ottawa Valley hospitals have had to close for similar reasons over the last year.

“This temporary closure has been a very difficult decision as we understand its impact on our community,” ARH President Leah Levesque said. “Patient and staff safety is our main priority, and our dedicated team works tirelessly to do everything possible to have the necessary staff to support our community’s health care needs. In addition, we are working with our partner hospitals and The County of Renfrew Paramedic Services to ensure continued access to care.” 

Anyone requiring life-threatening immediate medical attention should call 9-1-1 for paramedic assistance.  

The nearest emergency departments include: 

• Almonte General Hospital: www.almontegeneral.com  
• Renfrew Victoria Hospital: www.renfrewhosp.com  
• Queensway Carleton Hospital: www.qch.on.ca  

Patients can contact Renfrew County Virtual Triage and Assessment Centre at 1-844-727-6404. Or patients can speak with a Registered Nurse via Telehealth Ontario by calling toll-free 1-866-797-0000 or TTY -866-797-0007. Both services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week.