'Extremely concerning': Glace Bay ER closed for almost a year due to staffing shortages
The emergency department at the Glace Bay Hospital has been closed since July 2021, and it’s unclear when it will reopen.
“It's very concerning. It's probably one of the questions being asked in the community these days,” said David MacKeigan, president of Bay It Forward, a local community group that has helped attract doctors to the community in the past.
“The longer it's closed, the harder it's going to be to reopen,” he said.
The only ER currently operating in Cape Breton Regional Municipality is at the island's largest hospital in Sydney, N.S.
“The emergency department in Glace Bay, in the proposal that was made by the Liberals under Stephen McNeil, was supposed to be expanded and kept open, and instead it has closed and has had a disastrous effect on the Regional,” said Cape Breton physician Dr. Margaret Fraser.
Fraser says upwards of 150 patients a day have registered at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney.
“Glace Bay really does need to reopen. There needs to be some other option for emergency care. There needs to be a community emergency department,” she said.
A spokesperson for Nova Scotia Health says their goal is to keep the ER in Glace Bay open, once staffing levels stabilize.
“It's extremely concerning. People shouldn't have to second guess where they're going for emergency care,” said Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative MLA John White.
One of White’s campaign promises was to keep the hospital in Glace Bay open.
“I can assure you that every effort is being made to reopen the ER,” he said.
Nova Scotia Health says three physicians have recently been hired to work in Sydney, but there are still 20 nursing vacancies.
Nearly a year after it closed, there's still no firm date on when the ER department in Glace Bay will reopen.
Correction
This is a corrected article. A previous version incorrectly stated that the Glace Bay ER has been closed for almost two years, instead of one.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Town of Fort Nelson, B.C., ordered to evacuate due to wildfire
The entire town of Fort Nelson, B.C., as well as the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.