HHHS Releases ED Consolidation Plan Details

Following the public announcement that Haliburton Highlands Health Services (HHHS) would be consolidating its emergency services at its Haliburton site as of June 1, 2023, staff and leadership have been diligently working to confirm the technical elements of the transition.

The decision to consolidate was based on severe and on-going shortages of physicians and nurses at both the Haliburton and Minden sites, with HHHS needing to bring together its services and staffing at one site in order to maintain any emergency services in Haliburton County. The Haliburton site was chosen because it is the location of the only in-patient (acute care) beds in Haliburton County, which require physician coverage from the Emergency Department in case of a medical emergency. The organization fought as hard and as long as it could to keep both Emergency Departments open, but with no long-term solutions to the staffing shortages, it couldn’t go on any longer. Additional details about the rationale to consolidate are available at www.hhhs.ca/news/frequently-asked-questions-emergency-department-consolidation.

Consolidation plan is based on HHHS Emergency Department Closure Protocol

The detailed consolidation plan is based on the comprehensive HHHS Emergency Department Closure Protocol that was initially developed in the fall of 2021, when the organization was first faced with the prospect of multiple, temporary, short-notice closures of one, or more likely, both Emergency Departments due to staffing shortages. The staff most directly impacted by consolidation have now had an opportunity to confirm which options would work best for patient and work flow.

“HHHS is grateful for the incredible work of our hospital, clinical, facilities, IT, and support teams and managers, as well as our other partners, in confirming the detailed consolidation plan,” said Carolyn Plummer, President & CEO of HHHS. “Our staff are the experts when it comes to patient care and their working environment, so it was important that they were able to be part of this process.”

An overview of the Emergency Department Consolidation Plan is available below.

Work will continue to implement the Emergency Department Consolidation Plan, under the guidance of a Transition Task Force. HHHS will also continue to explore options for short-term and long-term use of the Minden Emergency Department space, with conversations with the community to be initiated after the transition has been completed.

HHHS Emergency Department Consolidation Plan Details

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