No nighttime ER at Alberton hospital this weekend
Lack of nursing coverage to blame
The Collaborative Emergency Centre at Western Hospital in Alberton, P.E.I., will close Friday night and will remain closed Saturday and Sunday nights this weekend.
The centre acts as a normal emergency department staffed with nurses and doctors during the day, but from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., is usually staffed by emergency nurses and paramedics with specialized training, who consult by phone with an on-call doctor in P.E.I.
The emergency room will open Saturday at 8 a.m. and will be open days over the weekend. But there's a temporary lack of nurses, the province said in a written release Friday — not enough to operate the centre overnight.
Officials are advising Islanders in the area with medical emergencies to call 911 or go to the Prince County Hospital in Summerside.