Longer wait time expected at a West Nipissing hospital

Wait times may be longer at the West Nipissing General Hospital starting on Monday.

In a news bulletin on Saturday administration explained that come Jan. 6 the Emergency Department will be relocated to the hospital’s operating room – which it uses for scopes – as part of the hospital’s work to renovate the building’s sprinkler system.

Work began in august in other areas of the hospital to meet building code standards and the emergency room is the last phase of the project.

The change of location may increase wait times, the hospital noted in the bulletin.

“We're not going to have the same efficiencies that we did, with the emergency department… and of course, just the volume of patients,” said the hospital’s interim president and CEO, Richard Beauchamp, in an interview with CTV News on Monday.

Hospital officials said that staff at the main entrance will direct people to the emergency room, if need be.

“As the West Nipissing General Hospital is currently experiencing a high volume of patients in the Emergency Department, we kindly ask that patients coming into the emergency department be patient and kind,” the hospital said in a separate statement on Saturday.

Staff also recommended the public go to their primary care provider if possible.

“We're working with the family health team here in town and also with the community health center,” said Beauchamp.

“For those patients that might be here that really don't need the emergency department, they've agreed to and put on some additional resources to handle those people.”

Beauchamp said the hospital’s ER needs the sprinkler upgrades.

“We were not compliant with what needs to be done in the modern buildings,” he said.

“It’s typical of a lot of older buildings because the codes were different in those days.”

When asked about the temporary movement of the hospital’s emergency department, the Ministry of Health provided the following statement.

“West Nipissing General Hospital received a $2.5 million Healthcare Infrastructure Renewal Fund Grant in 2024-25 for the final phase of their Sprinkler Renovation Project, which includes the Emergency Department. This project was pursued based on the recommendation that the hospital received from their local Fire Marshall and Chief to ensure compliance with Ontario Fire Marshall’s Ontario Regulation 150/13.”

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The Emergency Department will return to its normal location in early or mid-March and staff said that updates on the renovations will be posted as available.

In the meantime, urgent scope appointments will be moved to other nearby hospitals in Greater Sudbury or North Bay.