Chetwynd Hospital faces diversion for fifth consecutive night

CHETWYND, B.C. — Chetwynd Hospital’s emergency department will be closed for the fifth consecutive evening, according to Northern Health.

The health authority announced on Facebook that services will be unavailable between 5:00 p.m. on May 8th to 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 9th, due to “challenges with nursing staff and physician coverage.”

This announcement comes after the hospital has been diverted and closed for the past three weekends and closed every evening since May 4th.

The first diversion, during the weekend of April 20th, was caused by a lack of doctors.  Every diversion since has been due to nursing availability until Wednesday.

In an interview on Tuesday, Peace River South MLA Mike Bernier called the diversions “horrifying.”

The Facebook post says people in the Chetwynd area who need life-threatening emergency care should call 9-1-1 to the nearest available and appropriate facility.

While the emergency department is closed, patients requiring urgent care will be transported to the hospital in Dawson Creek, over an hour away from Chetwynd.

The South Peace Division of Family Care, a group of healthcare workers from Dawson Creek, Chetwynd and Tumbler Ridge, says it’s working to recruit and hire more doctors and nurses for the area.

The organization is also planning to turn Dawson Creek’s Ejen Healthcare Clinic into a “primary care hub” for the entire South Peace region, and it’s working alongside Northern Health to make it happen.