Residents in and around the central Ontario community of Minden are calling on the health minister to step in and impose a one-year moratorium on the planned closure of an emergency department.
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Haliburton Highlands Health Services announced recently that the ER at its Minden location would close as of June 1 and all emergency services would be transferred to its Haliburton site, about 25 kilometres away.
The hospital says a shortage of nursing and medical staff is behind its decision.
A group of residents visited the legislature today with more than 17,000 signatures that they say they have gathered on a petition calling for a moratorium.
RELATED | Minden emergency department closure sparks controversy
Norman Bess, a seasonal resident of Minden, says he doesn't believe he would be alive today if it weren't for the urgent care he received at the local ER when he had a heart attack in September 2017.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones says the closure is a local decision made by local hospital leadership.
