Fort St. John Hospital faces weekend birthing centre closure

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Fort St. John Hospital and Peace Villa. (Fort St. John Hospital Foundation)

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Fort St. John Hospital’s birthing centre will be closed for the weekend, according to Northern Health.

The health authority notified the hospital’s maternity patients on Thursday, July 18th, saying the birthing centre would be closed from noon on Friday, July 19th until 7:00 a.m. on Monday, July 22nd.

Patients weren’t given a reason for the closure, but a Northern Health staffer indicated in an email to Energeticcity.ca that it was due to staffing.

They also told Energeticcity that “efforts to fill vacant shifts are ongoing, and the timing of the diversion may change.”

In the meantime, maternity patients who are “medically indicated” or who begin to experience symptoms of labour are being told to go to the Dawson Creek and District Hospital.

“Patients greater than 36 weeks are advised to stay in Dawson Creek for the duration of the service interruption,” the announcement reads.

The last time the Fort St. John Hospital experienced service interruptions at the birthing centre was in June of 2023, when Northern Health warned patients about “maternity nursing coverage challenges.”