Ambulances to be diverted from Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre this weekend

(MONCTON) Friday, May 7, 2021 – The two provincial health authorities would like to inform the public that ambulances will temporarily be diverted from Vitalité’s Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre to Horizon’s The Moncton Hospital this weekend.

Both emergency departments will remain open for walk-in patients.

This temporary measure will come into effect on Saturday, May 8 at 8 a.m. and will continue until Monday, May 10 at 8 a.m.

"The shortage of nurses has hit us hard and the emergency department at the Dumont is especially affected,” said Dr. France Desrosiers, President and CEO of Vitalité. “We now have no other choice but to apply this unpopular, but necessary, decision for the safety of patients and staff.”

“Our emergency department staff and physicians in Moncton have shown great collaboration over the years, and even though we are all struggling to deal with staff shortages, we will continue to support our colleagues at Vitalité,” said Karen McGrath, Horizon’s President and CEO. “We want to ensure the public that if they do have a medical emergency we will provide them safe and quality care.”

If you have a medical emergency, please call 911 or proceed to the nearest emergency department. Patients with non-urgent medical issues may experience long wait times if they present to the emergency departments as we prioritize the sickest and most vulnerable patients.

We are urging the public in the Moncton area to think about their options for receiving care – please keep the Emergency Departments for emergencies. We encourage you to visit SoWhyWait.ca to help choose the best option for care in the Moncton area.

We apologize for the inconvenience caused by this temporary measure and thank you for your patience and understanding.