Western Hospital in Alberton to close ER Friday

The emergency department at Western Hospital in Alberton, P.E.I., will be closed Friday starting at 8 a.m. for 24 hours due to a temporary lack of doctors, according to a news release from the province.

The ER is scheduled to reopen Saturday morning at 8 a.m. and the hospital's Collaborative Emergency Centre will reopen Saturday evening at 8 p.m.

The centre acts as a normal emergency department staffed with nurses and doctors during the day, but from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m., is usually staffed by emergency nurses and paramedics with specialized training, who consult by phone with an on-call doctor in P.E.I.

Friday, the centre will remain closed since the hospital'spolicy has been to close iton evenings when the ER isn'tavailable during the day, officials said.

"The concern is that people who really need to go to an emergency room might opt to wait and go to the CEC instead if they think that's an option," Health PEI said in an email to CBC News.

Last weekend the centre had to close Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights due to a lack of nurses.

Patients with emergencies should call 911 or go to the Prince County Hospital in Summerside, officials said.

More P.E.I. news