Obstetrics department at Listowel Memorial Hospital temporarily closing
CBC
The obstetrics department at Listowel Memorial Hospital will be closed for several months as most of the full-time nurses who work there will be off on maternity leave.
The hospital announced this week the department will close from April 28 to mid-September.
"It's a small hospital and we have a small staff in general," Karl Ellis, president and CEO of the Listowel Wingham Hospital Alliance (LWHA), said. "Our obstetrics department is probably one of our smallest departments."
"We have eight nurses in that area, and very shortly we'll have six of them that will be off on their own maternity leaves."
Ellis said temporarily replacing the nurses wasn't an option.
"Obstetrics is a specialized area and so there's significant training involved," he said. "We did look at other options to try to staff that, but in a small community with a specialized group, it was just not possible in a short timeframe."
Ellis said the obstetrics department at Listowel Memorial delivers about 130 babies each year.
"Patients and families will be working with their physician or their midwife to look at other care, whether it be Stratford or Kitchener, Walkerton, Hanover, the surrounding hospitals," he said.
Victoria Ott, director of integrated marketing and communications at Grand River Hospital in Kitchener, told CBC News in an email that Grand River regularly sees patients from surrounding areas, including Listowel.
"Our team is able to accommodate any potential labours from Listowel, welcoming two babies from there this week," Ott stated. "We have a close relationship with the labour and delivery team at Listowel, including a partnership to support training of their nursing team."
She added during the temporary closure at the Listowel hospital, people are encouraged to talk over their birthing plans with their care providers.
"Regardless of where the patient's home city is, if they are in labour in Waterloo region, they should come straight to childbirth triage, on the fourth floor at our K-W campus, where our teams will provide them with quality care," Ott said.
A spokesperson for South Bruce Grey Health Centre said that organization is also working with the Listowel hospital "to support the temporary transition of obstetrical care if required."
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