This story is part of Situation Critical, a CBC British Columbia series that reports on the barriers people in this province face in accessing adequate and timely health care.
Several emergency departments and primary care centers in rural British Columbia towns have reported temporary reductions in services over the long weekend due to “staffing issues,” according to health authorities.
Closures and detours have been a frequent occurrence in BC this year, with northern Vancouver Island, northern BC and the interior particularly affected.
Experts and rural mayors have blamed staffing problems on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, unhealthy work environments in rural hospitals and the cascading effects of a primary health care crisis.
Saturday, the emergency room of Hospital Dr. Helmcken Memorial in Clearwater, B.C., 120 kilometers north of Kamloops, will be detoured for the 62nd time this year, according to data analyzed by CBC News.
The number of hours the ER has been detoured equals 38 days in total. The emergency service will operate again on Sunday at 7 am, according to a statement from Interior Health.
In addition to the closure in Clearwater, the nearby hospital in Ashcroft will be closed throughout the weekend due to “limited availability of nursing staff,” according to Interior Health.
Anyone requiring emergency care in either community is asked to go to the Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.
Barbara Roden, the mayor of Ashcroft, says the ongoing closures were “frustrating” for residents, especially when they have to travel 100 kilometers to Kamloops to treat minor injuries.
“Especially over a long weekend when we know a lot of people will be traveling, a lot of people will be out on the road, a lot of people will be out and participating in activities,” he said. “It’s a long drive to an emergency department and then, as we’ve seen, there are no guarantees that those emergency departments will be open.”
Roden says understaffing in Interior communities has been exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic, and there have been no replacements to keep services running.
He believes the next meeting of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) will have a big focus on health care, especially for rural mayors.
Vancouver Island Service Reductions
Communities in central and northern Vancouver Island are also affected by “limited staff availability” this weekend.
The emergency department at Port Hardy Hospital will be closed from 5 a.m. Friday until 7 a.m. Sunday, according to Island Health. Anyone requiring emergency care is asked to go to Port McNeill Hospital.
“Island Health and BC Emergency Health Services have protocols in place to ensure patients are transported to the appropriate location,” an Island Health spokesperson said in a statement.
Cormorant Island’s emergency department in Alert Bay will be closed overnight until Sept. 15, a closure that was announced just before the long weekend. The ED has been closed overnight since August 2 due to a “medical staff shortage.”
In addition to the various emergency room closures, a primary care center in Chemainus will also experience a temporary reduction in service on Monday.
The Chemainus Health Care Center was closed all day Friday and will close Monday at 2 p.m., according to Island Health.