Staff shortage forces temporary closure of emergency department in B.C.'s Interior
An emergency department in B.C.'s Interior was temporarily closed for part of the weekend due to a staffing issue.
Fraser Health said in a statement the Clearwater emergency department at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital had to close for more than 30 hours "due to an unforeseen limited staffing availability." The department was closed from 12 p.m. on Saturday until 8 p.m. on Sunday.
Anyone who required emergency assistance was advised to call 911 or visit Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, which is about a 90-minute drive from the Clearwater hospital.
It's not the only emergency department that changed its hours over the past few days. The Ashcroft Hospital and Community Health Care Centre was open for reduced hours over the weekend, though Interior Health didn't give a reason why in its announcement.
By Monday, both emergency departments were back to regular hours of operation.
Last month, another emergency department in Interior Health was forced to close temporarily – for an unknown length of time – due to a staffing shortage.
Elkford Health Centre's emergency department closed on Sept. 29 "until further notice."
And it's not just Interior Health dealing with staffing issues. Late last week, doctors in Northern Health warned residents to be extra cautious and avoid injury as hospitals in the region are overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients.
"Our hospital is overwhelmed and our staffing is compromised – I don't think that everyone in our community understands how easily the staffing of a small rural hospital can be compromised," said Dr. Rebecca Janssen, a hospitalist and chief of staff at Vanderhoof's St. John Hospital, last week.
"We are effectively begging people to be vaccinated and I hope that by expressing what dire straits we're in it does penetrate and people start taking this seriously, because I'm very worried for the community."
Last month, staffing shortages and pressure on local health-care systems meant B.C. turned down Alberta's call for workers to help with its local COVID-19 crisis.
"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 in September.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Penny Daflos
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.