Fort St. John Hospital emergency department experiencing service interruptions

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Northern Health is advising residents that there will be an interruption in emergency department services at the Fort St. John Hospital on Tuesday due to challenges with physician coverage. 

Northern Health posted on its Fort St. John-specific Facebook group Monday evening, saying services will be unavailable on April 2nd between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. 

The health authority says people experiencing a life-threatening emergency should call 9-1-1 for transport to the nearest available facility.

Other departments, such as the Birthing Centre, are not impacted at this time.

“Any time services are interrupted, our partners in patient transfer and local health services are notified, and signage will be put in place at the hospital, informing patients to call 9-1-1 for transport,” said Northern Health in the Facebook post.

The Northern Health Virtual Primary and Community Care Clinic is available daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. for non-urgent care needs. 

Fort Nelson General Hospital experienced three service interruptions in March, including over the Easter long weekend, due to a lack of nursing coverage.