Red Lake’s Margaret Cochenour Memorial Hospital will be closing its ER this Thursday evening for 12 hours due to a physician shortage….and the Mayor of Red Lake isn’t happy about it. 
Mayor Fred Mota says the ER will be closed from 8 PM Thursday to 8 AM Friday, a period of 12 hours.
The Mayor says the situation is unacceptable and wants the Province to “do something about it.”
Mota says there “should never be a moment where our community does not have ER services,” nothing it puts the entire community as well as neighbors and visitors at risk.
Officials with the Memorial Hospital say people with serious, emergent health problems should call 911 and request ambulance assistance for transport to the nearest hospital Emergency Department, available to offer treatment, which is in Dryden.
For less emergent health problems, call the Telehealth Line at 1-866-797-0000.
A statement from hospital officials reads:
“We have been working hard to find physician coverage to avert this closure. We wholeheartedly want to avoid our community being in this situation. We will provide an update, should the situation change. A pervasive lack of Health Human Resources in many professions has caused a serious strain on the delivery of care in Northwestern Ontario. This includes Physician shortages, which have been a threat to health care delivery for many years. The Hospital and the Red Lake Medical Associates continue to advocate for equitable access to necessary healthcare resources, and to seek long-term solutions to address human resource shortages in our area.”
