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Chetwynd emergency room to close for more than 24 hours

Chetwynd General Hospital’s emergency room will close from 7 a.m. on September 16th to 8 a.m. on September 17th.

By Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

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Health

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September 15, 2025

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Chetwynd General Hospital. (Caitlin Coombes, Energeticcity.ca)

CHETWYND, B.C. — Emergency services at Chetwynd General Hospital will shutter for more than 24 hours starting tomorrow.

A post from Northern Health on Facebook at 7 p.m. on Monday, September 15th says the department will be closed from 7 a.m. on Tuesday, September 16th.

The post cites “staffing challenges” as the cause.

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It will not open until over a day later, at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, September 17th.

This is the third diversion at the hospital this month. The last diversion was a 12-hour closure which began on Friday, September 11th and lasted into Saturday morning.

Northern Health says Chetwynd patients in need of life-saving care, such as those having chest pains, difficulty breathing or severe bleeding, should call 911 for transport to the nearest “available and appropriate” facility.

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The diversion announced on Monday evening is the second diversion in as many days, following a closure at Dawson Creek and District Hospital on September 15th.

Authors

Ed Hitchins, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A guy who found his calling later in life, Edward Hitchins is a professional storyteller with a colourful and extensive history.

Beginning his journey into journalism in 2012 at Seneca College, Edward also graduated from Humber College with an Advanced Diploma in Print and Broadcast Journalism in 2018. After time off from his career and venturing into other vocations, he started his career proper in 2022 in Campbell River, B.C.

Edward was attracted to the position of Indigenous Voices reporter with Energeticcity as a challenge. Having not been around First Nations for the majority of his life, he hopes to learn about their culture through meaningful conversations while properly telling their stories.

In a way, he hopes this position will allow both himself and Energeticcity to grow as a collective unit as his career moves forward and evolves into the next step.

He looks forward to growing both as a reporter and as a human being while being posted in Fort St. John.

This reporting position has been funded by the Government of Canada and the Local Journalism Initiative.