Southern Health has given an update on the status of the emergency room at the Ste. Anne hospital.

Dr. Denis Fortier, Vice-President of Medical Services for Southern Health, says ambulance service to the Ste. Anne Hospital emergency room will return starting tomorrow.

Fortier says the hours at the emergency room will remain reduced to 8am to 8pm for sure until the spring. He notes since the hours were first reduced, the Ste. Anne ER was not taking in ambulance patients but rather EMS was being diverted to Steinbach or even Winnipeg depending on the case.

"We’re now saying they don’t have to divert to other sites during those hours. That will help at Bethesda as well," notes Fortier.

"So it’s a slight change, it’s a slight increase in service delivery but we are also anticipating a couple of months before we get answers to our recruitment situation."

Fortier says they are still experiencing a shortage of physicians in Ste. Anne but have actively been working on recruitment.  

"I think the ultimate goal is to have a 24 by 7 open emergency room," adds Fortier noting how long it will take to get there is very much dependent on Southern Health's ability to recruit physicians who are willing to work in the ER.

He says having ambulances transporting patients to Ste. Anne will alleviate some pressure on Bethesda in Steinbach but in general, Fortier adds both hospital teams have been able to handle the load.

 As for the ER hours, Fortier says "we’re probably not going to be in a position to change very much until the spring."