A hospital in Bruce County is closing its emergency department for the next eight weeks due to a critical shortage of nurses.

South Bruce Grey Health Centre IS shutting down the ER at its Chesley hospital, located about 30 minutes south of Owen Sound.  The anticipated reopening will be December 2nd.

The healthcare organization says the decision to close the ER for eight weeks follows a series of short-notice, temporary closures.

Hospitals across the province have closed their ERs for hours, even days, over the past several months primarily due to nursing shortages. A number of nurses have moved into retirement, while others have left the profession due to burnout from having to work extraordinarily long, hard hours.

All of South Bruce Grey Health Centre’s hospitals serve rural communities in Chesley, Durham, Kincardine and Walkerton. The organization’s website indicates it serves about 44,000 people, as well as thousands of seasonal residents and tourists throughout the region.