Lakeridge Health yesterday announced that it is temporarily closing its Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and transferring patients to nearby hospitals.
“Lakeridge Health, like many Ontario hospitals, continues to operate amidst significant staff shortage. Providing the safest care and preserving our ability to provide acute and emergency services, including critical care, remains a top priority,” said a statement.
“To ensure our ability to do so, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily relocate the Bowmanville Hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and consolidate critical care services to the Ajax Pickering and Oshawa hospitals. We recognize the impact of this temporary relocation on patients and their families. The decision was not made lightly,” said the statement.
It said Lakeridge Health continues to assess the situation regularly, with the goal of bringing back critical care services to the Bowmanville Hospital when staffing stabilizes, and it is safe to do so.
“Lakeridge Health has every intention to resume critical care services as quickly and as safely as possible. We thank our staff for the continued dedication and commitment. And we thank our community for the patience, cooperation, and understanding during this extremely challenging time,” the statement added.