“Hire 100 more staff now,” Union responds to staffing crisis at PSFDH

As the birthing unit at the Smiths Falls site of the Perth and Smiths Falls District Hospital remains closed, CUPE says the facility needs to hire 100 staff ASAP or the problems are only going to intensify.

The hospital says it is working with neighbouring facilities to make sure adequate coverage is in place during the closure, which is expected to last until October 10th.

Dave Verch first vice-president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions says closures like the birthing unit and Perth’s ER department in the summer, will “only intensify” under the current health human resource strategy of the PC provincial government.

Both the union and the hospital are asking for the provincial government to step up and fix the staffing issue.