Hospital emergency room in Wolseley reopening on Monday

Wolseley, Sask. -

The hospital emergency room in Wolseley is reopening on Monday. The community has been without ER services for nearly four years. On Friday, residents were invited to the hospital to meet new staff recruited from around the world.

Wendy Labharh is one of 10 nurses moving to Wolseley to staff the emergency room.

“I moved from Kitchener, Ontario. I was working as a nurse and since Ontario is expensive honestly, I was looking for a place to move,” she explained.

Wolseley was one of a dozen communities that lost Hospital emergency services in the early days of COVID-19 as the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) consolidated staff in larger centres. The community fought hard to get its ER back.

“A lot of work went into this and I’m really proud of our community and all our partners to help make this happen so it’s a step in the right direction,” said Wolseley Mayor Gerald Hill.

The emergency room will reopen Monday, initially operating five days a week during the day.

Wendy (left) is a Registered Nurse who recently moved to Wolseley from Ontario. (Gareth Dillistone / CTV News)

“It’s part of a phased reopening that we’ve been planning with the facility, with the community, with the temporary reopening and enough staff to do that,” said Dan Drummond, primary health care director for the SHA’s southeast region.

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Many of the new nurses came from Philippines. The local MLA welcomed them during an ER open house.

“This is a great day for the town of Wolseley and, you know, as someone who was born in this hospital, I’m so happy to see that it’s on its way to being reopened,” said Moosomin MLA Steven Bonk.

The hospital itself remains closed for renovations. That will be completed by fall, allowing for resumption of a full range of medical services.