Back to SearchLike many hospitals across the province, William Osler Health System (Osler) continues to face significant pressures due to ongoing staffing shortages and high demand for care. It is a challenging time for all of us in health care as we face this 7th wave, as well as for many of you in our community who require care. Every day, Osler’s dedicated teams work diligently to carefully balance the need for our services with staffing challenges that have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
Please know we are doing our very best to ensure that Osler is always here for you. Nothing is more important to us than the health of our community. At times, we do need to make difficult decisions regarding our services, and explore and enact a variety of strategies to ensure we continue to provide care. Do not hesitate to use our facilities if you feel you need to – we are here to provide the safe, quality care that you and your family require.
There are a number of things you can do to support your hospitals at this time. When arriving in the Emergency Departments or Urgent Care Centre, the sickest patients must be seen first. This means that people with less serious concerns may experience longer wait times. We ask that people in those situations consider all health care options including:
- Visiting a family doctor (or nurse practitioner)
- Staying home if symptoms are mild, resting, and assessing the progression of your symptoms with the assistance of various virtual care options
- Connecting with Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000
- Using Osler’s Virtual Urgent Care service
- Visiting Osler’s Urgent Care Centre at Peel Memorial or a walk-in clinic
- Visiting a COVID-19, Cold and Flu Care Clinic
If you do need to visit one of our emergency departments, always check Osler’s wait time clocks so you know what to expect when you arrive. You can also take measures to stay safe during the 7th wave by getting vaccinated and boosted, avoiding large gatherings, socializing outdoors wherever possible, and staying home if you’re sick.
If these last couple of years have taught us anything, it's how vital compassionate health care workers are to our communities. If you are seeking a rewarding career supporting one of Ontario's most diverse regions, please visit Osler’s careers page.
I am tremendously grateful to the staff, physicians and volunteers who have continued to serve our community through such challenging times. I am thankful for our incredible community, and it continues to be an honour to serve the patients and families of this region. We’ve all been under enormous pressure, and we all need to remain compassionate and kind to each other. We are truly all in this together.
Dr. Frank Martino
Interim President and CEO
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