'Limited staffing' leads to temporary closure of B.C. emergency department

Elkford Health Centre is seen in this undated image. (Google Maps)

Vancouver -

An emergency department in B.C. is temporarily closed due to a staffing shortage, a local health authority announced this week.

In a statement Tuesday, Interior Health said the Elkford Health Centre's emergency department would close as of Tuesday "until further notice."

The closure was "due to limited staffing ability," the statement said.

The announcement comes as health authorities across the province are dealing with health-care staffing shortages amid the COVID-19 pandemic's fourth wave. Earlier this month, Northern Health said staff in parts of the province are "exhausted" and "overworked."

The health authority explained the emergency department at Fort St. John Hospital has only five permanent registered nurses. The department has 20 total nursing positions, Northern Health said. 

"This requires nursing staff to be pulled from other services to support ER operations," the health authority said. "This means that in some cases there may be just one nurse available on a given shift."

Some health-care workers have described their working conditions as "close to collapse." 

For example, Prince George Hospital had 15 critically ill COVID-19 patients earlier this month, even though the intensive care unit typically has only 10 beds. In some cases, non-COVID patients are being treated in hallways.

Staffing shortages and pressure on the health-care system also meant B.C. turned down Alberta's call for workers to help with its local COVID-19 crisis earlier this month. 

"Given the current demands on B.C.'s health-care system, we will not be able to assist with taking patients at this time," B.C. Minister of Health Adrian Dix said in an emailed statement.

Interior Health recommends those in need of emergency assistance call 911 or visit the Sparwood Health Centre, which is about a 30-minute drive away, or the Elk Valley Hospital, which is 45 minutes away.

The health authority's statement said it's still recruiting permanent and casual staff to the health-care facility.

"Interior Health regrets this interruption to our normal emergency department services in Elkford," the statement said. "We will have updates on recruitment as soon as (we have) new information."

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Penny Daflos and Ian Holliday