Port Colborne ER to close July 5th

While there's a certain level of excitement surrounding the new hospital in West St. Catharines, not every community can find reason for cheer. Despite their distance from nearby emergency facilities, the hospitals in Port Colborne and Fort Erie will be losing their ER's this summer. Port Colborne will be losing theirs on July 5th followed by Fort Erie on September 28th.

Both sites will change from full service emergency rooms to "urgent care clinics." The changeover is not unlike what occurred with the Hotel Dieu in St. Catharines several years ago. These urgent care clinics will provide a host of services to patients with non-life threatening injuries, but only during operating hours. Unlike an emergency room, their services will not be available 24 hours a day.

If you're not sure what will be covered by urgent care, the Niagara Health System has put together a handy chart explaining the differences between the two. You can find it by clicking here.

If you're living in Port Colborne and thinking of having a heart attack, I'd get it out of the way now.

TAGS: Fort Erie, Hospital, Port Colborne