The Montérégie-West Integrated Health and Social Services Centre (CISSSMO) is temporarily boosting services at the Barrie Memorial Hospital in Ormstown to help alleviate some of the strain on the Suroît Hospital due to staff shortages.
According to a press release issued by the CISSSMO, patients presenting at the Suroît Hospital emergency room who require hospitalization may now be hospitalized at the Salaberry-de-Valleyfield hospital or at the Barrie Memorial, depending on available capacity.
The agreement, which was reached between the managers and medical staff of both facilities, will see the teams and technical facilities at the Barrie Memorial used to full their full potential. This decision ensures the delivery of safe and quality services and care for all patients. It also confirms the important contribution of the Ormstown hospital to the well-being of the population.
“The collaboration between the medical teams and staff of these two hospitals demonstrates that by working together we can find solutions,” says Philippe Besombes, deputy director general of general and specialised physical health programs. “Staff shortage is an issue we were dealing with before the pandemic started. We must continue to work together to ensure short and long-term solutions are put in place for the safety of employees and patients, who are at the heart of our concerns.”
The CISSSMO also recently signed a temporary agreement with the Montreal West Island Integrated University Health and Social Service Centre to send some pregnant women intending to give birth at the Suroît or Anna Laberge Hospital in Chateauguay to one of three Montreal hospitals instead. Due to nurse and nursing assistant shortages in maternity wards, the CISSSMO will refer patients to the Lasalle, St-Mary’s, or Lakeshore General Hospital over the next few months, while offering a reimbursement for transportation.
According to the CISSSMO, management is actively recruiting personnel for its hospitals while looking for different possibilities to mitigate challenges imposed by staff shortages. (SR)
