Clearwater emergency room closing for 8 nights, 3 days after it closed for 5
Three days after it returned to 24-hour operation following five straight nights of overnight closures, an emergency department in the B.C. Interior is closing again. This time, it will be closed for eight nights in a row.
Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital will be on diversion from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily beginning Thursday night and continuing through Aug. 18, according to a statement from Interior Health.
The emergency room is scheduled to resume 24-hour service at 7 a.m. on Aug. 19.
Other inpatient services at the hospital will continue as normal, Interior Health said.
Closures due to limited staffing availability have become routine in Clearwater and in other rural communities around the province as B.C.'s health-care system struggles with worker fatigue and burnout.
Last week, the vice president of the BC Nurses’ Union told CTV Morning Live staffing shortages and wait times in hospitals across the province are the worst she's ever seen.
Adriane Gear said facilities have been understaffed for years, and that a lack of work-life balance for nurses working in health authorities has driven many to take leaves of absence, resign, or go to work for private companies.
Doctors have also been in short supply, leading to clinic closures and long waits for patients seeking primary care.
In Clearwater, when the local emergency room is closed, patients are diverted to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops or 100 Mile House District General Hospital in 100 Mile House, both more than 100 kilometres away.
"Interior Health regrets this temporary change to normal operations," the health authority said in its statement.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.