Eastern Health says emergency room services at the Dr. William H. Newhook Community Health Centre in Whitbourne will resume once “resources are stabilized.”

The emergency room was shut down to divert needed resources to the hospital in Placentia due to the COVID situation. That prompted some Whitbourne area residents to voice fears about the future of the facility.

Eastern Health says the emergency department was temporarily closed to help address needed staffing changes thanks to a surge in cases and staff in isolation. The health authority is thanking staff who have shifted location to meet the need, and assures area residents that emergency room services in Whitbourne will resume once the current staffing situation eases.