Hospitals in rural and northern Ontario await ER staffing certainty: ‘If we close, people die’

Rural and northern Ontario hospitals are anxiously awaiting word from the provincial government on a program that helps them keep emergency rooms open, after it ended last month.Health Minister Sylvia Jones’ office has said it is working on a permanent solution after the temporary program expired, but in the meantime the people who work to keep ERs open are concerned about filling those shifts.