(UPDATE) Protest planned in Tumbler Ridge over ER on-call hours cut

Updated September 23rd, 9:09 a.m.: This story has been updated to include the time of the planned protest on October 4th.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The community of Tumbler Ridge is continuing to protest against Northern Health’s decision to ‘temporarily’ cut on-call and weekend hours at the local emergency room. 

On October 4th at 11 a.m., members of the community and municipal council are organizing a second protest against recent emergency room changes announced by Northern Health. The first protest occurred during an open house held by the health authority on September 7th. 

In early September, Northern Health announced critical changes to the Tumbler Ridge Health Centre’s emergency department weekend and overnight on-call hours due to concerns about a lack of staff and the stability of coverage within the department’s operating hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays.  

Following the change, the centre’s on-call schedule will only cover from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays.

The original announcement post from Northern Health noted the change allows for “less potential for weekday interruptions due to having been called out for after-hours coverage needs.”

Health Minister Josie Osborne told Energeticcity.ca the Ministry of Health will “continue to engage and listen” and “find solutions that serve the community and support our hard-working healthcare professionals.”

Following public outcry from the community, Northern Health stated publicly the changes would be considered ‘temporary,’ and hosted two open houses on September 7th and 11th.

Chris Norbury, a member of the District of Tumbler Ridge council, is one of the organizers of the October protest.

“We need access to emergency care, because emergencies don’t happen nine to five, emergencies happen when they’re the least convenient,” Norbury said. 

“Even though we are a rural community, we still need the same access, and we appreciate that this is temporary in [Northern Health’s] eyes, but we need them to do everything they possibly can to open the ER and look at alternative methods…to get people care.”

Norbury emphasized the frustrations expressed by the community were not towards healthcare professionals in the area.

“We value them greatly, we appreciate all that they’re doing and we want to be their voice as well, to get them the tools and support to be able to offer care to our community, but not at their expense,” Norbury said. 

“We value them, we trust them, they save lives and they can protect us from serious harm…and we appreciate their willingness to work with us.”

Norbury explained local trust in the health authority was “low,” and concerns were high that Northern Health’s ‘temporary’ measure in cutting the hours may not be temporary at all.

“We want ‘temporary’ to be short term, weeks not months,” Norbury said. 

“There’s definite concerns in the community that ‘temporary’ could mean months, years, and for us that is [unacceptable].

“It’s a matter of time until another person loses their life in our community…and we will never know if he was able to see a doctor in our community, if he would have been stabilized, maybe alive today.” 

On September 6th, an individual died while en route from Tumbler Ridge to the Dawson Creek and District Hospital, just days after Northern Health’s announcement. 

“It just highlights that this has real consequences for us, and we’re afraid for who that next person is going to be, it could be any one of us.” 

The event is taking place at 11 a.m. on October 4th outside the Tumbler Ridge Town Hall at 305 Iles Way.