KDH announces temporary partial closure of its Emergency Department

KEMPTVILLE, ONTARIO, AUGUST 31, 2022 –  The Kemptville District Hospital (KDH) Administration has made the very difficult decision to put in place a temporary partial closure of its Emergency Department (ED) due to ongoing staffing shortages.

The KDH Emergency Department will be closing nightly from 7PM to 7AM from August 31, 2022 to September 5, 2022, with the ED resuming 24-hour operations on September 6, 2022 at 7AM.

“Like hospitals across the country, KDH is experiencing a sustained, system-wide pressure on our emergency department staffing levels due to COVID-related absences, vacations, staff fatigue and burnout, explained the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer, Frank J. Vassallo.

“I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to our frontline nurses, physicians, and support staff, who have worked extremely hard throughout the course of the pandemic,” Vassallo added. “Thanks to their commitment to the patients we serve, we have been able to keep our emergency department open 24/7 up to this point.”

KDH is actively working to recruit staff to reduce any temporary closures going forward and will resume 24-hour emergency services as soon as possible.

Anyone requiring immediate medical attention should call 911 and paramedics will take them to the nearest Emergency Department for care.

For people traveling on their own for emergency services, the closest Emergency Departments are:

• Winchester District Memorial Hospital – https://www.wdmh.on.ca/
• Queensway Carleton Hospital – www.qch.on.ca
• Brockville General Hospital – www.brockvillegeneralhospital.ca
• Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital – www.psfdh.on.ca

Patients can also speak with a Registered Nurse at Telehealth Ontario by calling toll-free 1-866-797-0000 or TTY 1-866-797-0007.  This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Patients can also call the new Health Connect Ontario service at 811 for advice or chat online with a registered nurse at Health Connect Ontario, https://healthconnectontario.health.gov.on.ca/

Updates will be shared via the KDH website and social media platforms.

ABOUT KEMPTVILLE DISTRICT HOSPITAL  

Kemptville District Hospital (KDH) is a 40-bed acute care hospital located in the rapidly growing Eastern Ontario municipality of North Grenville, 40 minutes south of Ottawa. We provide emergency care, inpatient care, advanced orthopaedic surgery (as a satellite of The Ottawa Hospital), Convalescent Care, Interim Long-Term Care, Day Surgery, Diagnostic Imaging, an ever-growing list of outpatient clinics, and education and wellness programming including Diabetes Education and Support. Committed to advancing our mission of Building Healthier Communities, we are an integrated health services organization with deep partnerships in our community and region. With our partners in the Ottawa West Four Rivers Ontario Health Team, we are collaborating on a new model of health care delivery that puts patients, families and caregivers at the centre of the healthcare system. For more information, visit www.kdh.on.ca

Media contact:

Jenny Read, Communications Officer

Kemptville District Hospital

613.258.6133 x 223 | jread@kdh.on.ca