Over 100 hundred people showed up at the Chesley Community Centre Tuesday to talk health care.
The subject material wasn't much different than the last time a similar meeting was held, last September.
President and CEO of the South Bruce Grey Health Centre, Michael Barrett assured people that the extension to keep Chesley's Emergency Department (ED) closed from 8pm to 8am, was not a long term plan to eventually close the hospital outright.
He says, the ED will continue to be closed though until they have at least two experienced nurses on staff to handle the work.
Barrett says “The labour market is very tight for nurses, so they have great flexibility where they could go.”
He says retention for nurses is very difficult, not only in Chesley but across the province.
Barrett says the Clinton Hospital is running into the same problem as Chesley at this point.
He says they need to make sure that the Chesley site is an attractive place to work so nurses will stay.
Chesley Physician Site Chief, Dr. Jacqui Wong says staff shares in the disappointment of limited ED hours because it affects the doctor's patients.
Nevertheless Dr. Wong is confident this set-back will be solved and the hospital will be the stronger for it.
Staff hope to hold another information meeting in May with updates on how the problem is playing out.
However, it appears till then the Chesley Hospital Emergency Department will only be open, 8am to 8pm.