B.C. Health Ministry targets Northeast staffing shortages with new incentives

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – The Ministry of Health is working to increase healthcare worker coverage for the province’s northeast region with incentive programs and temporary workers.

Hospitals such as Chetwynd have had numerous overnight closures in recent months due to a lack of staffing. B.C. Minister of Health Adrian Dix stated that the principal issue for those hospitals is a lack of staff. 

“It’s an unacceptable situation,” Dix said. 

According to the minister, some hospital closures are also due to a temporary shortage of healthy workers. While enough staff are employed at the hospital, too many people cannot work due to illnesses. 

To combat the provincial shortage of doctors and nurses, the Ministry of Health has introduced several incentive programs to encourage healthcare workers to commute and move to communities such as Chetwynd and Fort St. John. 

Dix explained that Fort St. John has approximately 29 doctors and occasional closures are due to sick days rather than permanent staffing issues, but other hospitals struggle with staffing due to permanent shortages. 

Fort St. John and Chetwynd have access to housing, childcare, and rural incentive programs to encourage nurses to move and accept hospital shifts in the areas.

“There shouldn’t be any [emergency room closures] we dont want any, and we are working to ensure that our emergency rooms are filled 365 [days a year], 24/7,” Dix said.

Dix said these incentive programs aim to eliminate or reduce hospital closures caused by staffing shortages and reliance on locum workers. 

Locum workers are those brought into a community or hospital on a temporary basis. They may cover one shift or stay for several weeks to ensure hospitals stay open, however, they are not local to the area or stationed at the hospital permanently. 

This is not a perfect solution however, Dix explained. Sometimes locum workers cannot travel to or remain in a community long enough due to challenges with commute or expense, and 

However, some members of this bank may be unable to cover shifts in remote hospitals on short notice due to travel distances, leading to short-notice hospital closures. 

Dix highlighted nurse training in Fort St. John as a crucial step for future healthcare workers in Northeast B.C. 

“It doesn’t help with next week, but it’s the way you have to address these things in the long term,” Dix said. 

For the full interview between Steve Berard and Dix, see the June 7th episode of This Week in the Peace below.