Montreal’s Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital is asking patients to avoid coming to the emergency room, although it remains open.
The CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, the regional health authority overseeing the hospital, issued the request on Thursday.
This comes following a sit-in by nurses earlier in the week, which forced a partial closure of the ER in the overnight hours of Monday to Tuesday.
Nurses who work in the emergency department said they are exhausted and that working conditions are untenable. A major sticking point is forced overtime, a measure meant to alleviate staff shortages.
Health Minister Christian Dubé intervened on Monday, appointing a conciliator to find solutions to resolve the ER crisis.
In a news release Thursday, the CIUSSS de l’Est-de-l’Île-de-Montréal said that the situation remains “precarious” as staffing issues persist.
“We continue to receive, on average 60 patients per day at the ER that could be treated elsewhere, seeing as they are not priority cases,” the statement reads.
The CIUSSS added that 50 per cent of those patients have a family doctor.
For non-urgent care, officials say patients should prioritize a visit with their family physician rather than presenting at the ER. People can also speak to their pharmacist, consult a doctor at a walk-in clinic or call 811 where a nurse can advise them.
The CIUSSS warned that those who nonetheless show up at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont ER for non-urgent care will be redirected to other resources.
As for staffing, the health authority said several nurses within the network have already volunteered to lend a hand for a few shifts in order to relieve nurses at the hospital.
The CIUSSS thanked them, applauding their act of solidarity.
It also added it’s grateful for any and all help it can get from experienced caregivers including nurses, nursing assistants and orderlies.
Recruitment efforts are underway, even for those interested to help out temporarily.