MLA brings petition about Tumbler Ridge Health Centre on-call hours cut to Victoria

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A northeastern B.C. politician has declared he is taking a petition from Tumbler Ridge about healthcare down to Victoria.

In an October 9th Facebook post, Peace River South MLA Larry Neufeld announced his intentions to bring a petition to the current session of the province’s legislative assembly. 

The petition comes after Northern Health revealed major changes to the after-hours on-call and weekend hours of the Tumbler Ridge Health Centre in early September. 

The changes entail reducing on-call hours from overnight to only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Shortly after this change came into effect, an individual passed away while en route to the Dawson Creek and District Hospital from the community. Northern Health then announced open houses with the community, and stated the changes would be considered temporary while it worked with the community to find a solution. 

In an interview with Energeticcity.ca, Northern Health’s vice president of clinical operations Lisa Zetes-Zanatta stated the change was due to “a sharp decline in available physicians.”

Protests in the community have been ongoing since September. 

During the most recent protest on October 4th, Neufeld accepted a petition from the community that had garnered more than 1,800 signatures calling for the restoration of the emergency room “as soon as possible.” 

In his post, Neufeld explained the petition is “an ongoing effort” from the community to draw attention to their concerns about “uncertainty around medical coverage” in Tumbler Ridge. 

“The petition I am presenting represents a community that has stood together and refused to accept less than what it deserves,” Neufeld wrote. 

“The message from Tumbler Ridge could not be clearer. Access to emergency care is not optional. It is essential for the safety and wellbeing of families, seniors and workers across Peace River South.”

Neufeld explained he has met with residents of Tumbler Ridge about their healthcare-related concerns, as well as with B.C.’s minister of health Josie Osborne and Ciro Panessa, the CEO of Northern Health, and stated he will “continue to stand up” until the community receives stable healthcare.