10 beds closed at Boundary Trails Hospital due to nursing shortage
A quarter of the beds in a medical unit at a hospital between Winkler and Morden are closed due to a nursing shortage.
A spokesperson for Southern Health said Boundary Trails Hospital is experiencing nursing vacancy challenges like many other Manitoba hospitals.
After a review, 10 beds in the 40-bed medical unit are being temporarily closed to provide relief.
Southern Health said some term positions are returning this fall and the beds are expected to reopen on Oct. 11.
Boundary Trails Hospital serves a population area of about 50,000, including Winkler and the RM of Stanley. Both areas have the lowest COVID-19 vaccine coverage rates in Manitoba.
Southern Health said in a statement to CTV News "It continues to monitor the situation closely and plans are in place to respond to increased demands on bed occupancy as required."
Meanwhile, Manitoba Nurses’ Union President Darlene Jackson said the situation in southern Manitoba is at a tipping point.
“Acutely ill patients, many of whom have not been vaccinated, combined with a critical nursing shortage makes for a perfect storm,” Jackson said in a statement to CTV News.
“Beds are being closed all over the province, departments are run short and sadly, both patients and nurses are suffering. The longer we continue to look at the parts and not the whole, the worse the state of health-care in this province will become,” she said.
When asked about the staffing issue at Boundary Trails Hospital at a news conference Tuesday, Manitoba’s Minister of Health Audrey Gordon said the pandemic has presented many challenges to the health-care system not just in Winkler, but across the province. She said she’s working closely with her department and regional health authorities to increase the number of nurses that are in the province’s system by adding 400 nursing education seats throughout six post-secondary schools in Manitoba.
“So that we can ensure that sites like (Boundary Trails Hospital) are appropriately staffed to provide care, and we’ll continue to work with our stakeholders to make sure that’s done,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
Blind Sask. boy heading to international braille competition hopes to increase accessibility for visually impaired
A Saskatchewan boy who qualified for an international braille competition in Los Angeles next month hopes he can inspire change in his home province.
'A step forward': New screening criteria for sperm donors takes effect
Canadians looking to grow their families with the assistance of sperm or egg donations should soon have more options for donors as the federal health agency does away with longstanding restrictions criticized as discriminatory.