Rivière-Rouge in court to save its emergency

2024-01-25 04:26:27

The municipality of Rivière-Rouge, in the Laurentians, is turning to the Superior Court of Quebec to try to prevent the closure of its hospital emergency room twelve hours a day.

• Read also: Rivière-Rouge Hospital: demonstration once morest the partial closure of the emergency room

• Read also: Lack of staff: an emergency in the Laurentians open only 12 hours a day

Due to a lack of staff, the CISSS des Laurentides intends to close the emergency department of the Rivière-Rouge hospital every night between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m., starting February 1.

“One week before this decision takes effect and having no other alternative, the City of Rivière-Rouge, accompanied by other parties, […] appeals to the Superior Court to try to prevent the closure of the evening and night emergency at the Rivière-Rouge hospital,” the municipality said in a brief statement on Wednesday.

Hundreds of citizens from the region and elected officials gathered on Saturday, January 13, for a march to demand that the emergency department remain available 24 hours a day.

For its part, the Ministry of Health and Social Services does not have the choice of reducing service hours by half, because it was unable to find enough staff willing to work at the Rivière-Rouge hospital.

Starting February 1, a doctor will remain in place at the hospital at night to take care of people in intensive care and will always be able to intervene in the event of a major problem to stabilize a patient. That said, patients will now be sent to hospitals in Mont-Laurier or Sainte-Agathe during the night, journeys representing several dozen kilometers.

The government assures that the ambulance service has been improved accordingly.

“All measures are in place at the Rivière-Rouge emergency room to ensure safe care for people in need of critical care,” assured the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, on January 12.

The latter added that “there is no question of completely closing the emergency room”.

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