Temporary Service Interruptions and Closure Notices Horizon may temporarily adjust a facility’s hours of service or available services due to physician and nursing shortages. These changes are necessary for Horizon to continue offering safe and quality care to patients and clients. Despite the unprecedented challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Horizon has maintained an aggressive, proactive and innovative approach to physician and nursing recruitment over the course of the past year. We continue to monitor staffing levels closely and will continue with physician and nursing recruitment efforts for its facilities. Temporary Emergency Department (ED) closures During these temporary ED closures, the facility will not be seeing patients and clients and ambulances will be diverted to other hospitals. All patients and clients requiring urgent medical care will need to seek treatment at another hospital. Patients can call Tele-Care 811 if they have any questions about the type of medical attention they need. As always, patients who have a medical emergency should call 911. Temporary diversions Temporary diversions are part of our regular operating procedure and are used when there is a gap in service coverage (typically, physician or nursing availability). They are intended to provide the best and safest care for patients at any time, using our extensive network of hospitals and health care services. When possible, patients affected by temporary diversions are notified by their health care team. Other reasons for temporary closures or cancellations Closures or cancellations may also occur due to severe weather. Current temporary service interruptions or closures Last updated: May 15, 2026 Miramichi Regional Hospital Horizon Health Network (Horizon) wishes to advise the public that labour and birth services at Horizon’s Miramichi Regional Hospital (MRH) are being temporarily diverted, effective immediately, due to an unforeseen shortage of available nursing staff. This diversion will remain in place until no later than 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 16, 2026, when services will resume as normal. Efforts to mitigate and secure additional staffing support remain active, and we will provide further updates should circumstances change. During this period, any pregnant individuals who would normally deliver their baby at the Miramichi Regional Hospital will need to travel to another hospital offering labour and birth services. The nearest hospitals to Miramichi offering these services are: Chaleur Regional Hospital (Bathurst) Horizon’s The Moncton Hospital Horizon’s Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital (Fredericton) Dr. Georges L. Dumont University Hospital Centre (Moncton) Patients who present to the Miramichi Regional Hospital in labour or with urgent obstetrical concerns will continue to receive assessment and emergency care from staff, including obstetricians. All individuals in the MRH service area who are 35 weeks pregnant and over are being contacted by nursing staff. Horizon is committed to providing safe, high-quality care to all pregnant New Brunswickers close to home. Horizon understands this temporary change will require additional travel __ Upper River Valley Hospital Labour and birth services are temporarily unavailable at Horizon’s Upper River Valley Hospital (URVH) effective Wednesday, May 13 at 8 p.m. until Friday, May 15 at 8:00 a.m., and Sunday, May 17 at 5 p.m. until Monday, May 18 at 8:00 a.m., due to a temporary lack of surgical coverage to provide emergency caesarian sections (C-sections). All pregnant individuals who would normally deliver their babies at URVH will need to travel to Horizon’s Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton. __ Physiotherapy Horizon is currently experiencing a temporary shortage of physiotherapy staff in the Moncton, Saint John, and Miramichi areas. As a result, there will be some adjustments to outpatient physiotherapy appointments in these locations. What this means for patients: Some outpatient appointments may be cancelled or rescheduled; the most urgent outpatient cases will be prioritized Patients will be contacted directly if their appointment is affected Inpatient physiotherapy services will continue If you have questions about your physiotherapy care, please contact the physiotherapy department in your area. We understand how important timely access to physiotherapy services is for your health and recovery. Horizon is actively and aggressively recruiting physiotherapists to address this shortage and restore full service capacity as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.