Doctor-sharing agreement helps rural hospital avoid ER closures

The Kemptville District Hospital has struck a new deal with The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) to borrow physicians in order to avoid closing its emergency department on weekends for the next three months. 

The arrangement will help address the mounting pressures on staff according to Kemptville hospital CEO Frank Vassallo.

“They’re getting burned out and there’s fewer of them,” he said.

Many emergency room physicians are also family doctors, performing double duty, Vassallo said. A conversation with his team several months ago revealed many were in need of respite, which would have potentially seen the emergency department closed on weekends for the months of June, July and August.

Vassallo said it’s not a new problem. The hospital’s ER closed overnight last year for several days because of staffing levels.

Across the country emergency rooms are under growing strain in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, patients having more complex health issues and fewer doctors working in emergency care, especially in rural settings like Kemptville, he said.

“There’s only so much we could expect of people. That’s why we need to think of a new way of doing things,” Vassallo said.

A long-term solution 

The partnership is in its infancy, so it’s unclear how many doctors will travel to work south of the nation’s capital, but Vassallo said the arrangement is in place indefinitely to ensure the emergency department stays open. His team will also look at bringing on other support staff from TOH in the future.

In a joint statement with Vassallo, the president and CEO of TOH, Cameron Love said “our hospitals have worked together for many years, collaborating on ways to improve access to care for patients throughout our region.”

“This partnership is another step in that approach, as we look at more ways to ensure patients receive the care they need.”

Patients in the region will not notice any difference in care at the Kemptville hospital, read the joint statement.

The deal is a relief for patients in the area, with the next closest hospitals 27 to 55 kilometres away in Brockville, Smiths Falls, Winchester or Ottawa.