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A shortage of nurses has once again prompted the Mississippi River Health Alliance to close the Almonte General Hospital emergency department from 3 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. on Sunday.

The rest of the hospital remains open.

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As the hospital has noted before, the emergency department has “a very small staff with one physician and two nurses working on each shift. If one of them is sick … there is not a large pool of people with emergency department training to draw from.”

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Anyone requiring immediate medical attention should call 911. Paramedics will take you to the nearest emergency department for care.

Patients can also call 811 for health advice or to chat with a registered nurse. This provincial Health Connect Ontario program replaced Telehealth Ontario last year. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Patients who are registered can also contact the East Region Virtual Care Clinic at www.virtualcareontario.ca or 1-888-684-1999.

The closest emergency departments are:

  • Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital – www.cpdmh.ca
  • Arnprior Regional Health – www.arnpriorregionalhealth.ca
  • Perth & Smiths Falls District Hospital – www.psfdh.on.ca
  • Queensway Carleton Hospital – www.qch.on.ca

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