(UPDATE) Tumbler Ridge emergency department closure ended early

Update, February 3rd, 12.50 p.m.: The ER closure at Tumbler Ridge Health Centre, due to finish at 7 p.m. on February 3rd, has ended early at 12 p.m.

TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. — The Tumbler Ridge Health Centre’s emergency department is closed today.

In a Facebook post on February 3rd, Northern Health said regular daytime emergency services will be interrupted from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on February 3rd, due to “staffing challenges.” 

The health authority said other services at the health centre are not affected, and residents continue to have access to primary care.

Northern Health is advising anyone in Tumbler Ridge who requires life-threatening emergency care – such as with chest pain, difficulty breathing or severe bleeding – to call 911 for transport to the nearest appropriate facility.

In September 2025, the Tumbler Ridge Health Centre’s on-call ER services were significantly reduced due to a doctor shortage.

The modified schedule limited on-call hours to 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, effectively closing the department on evenings, overnight and at weekends.

As a result, patients requiring after-hours emergency care are now transported by ambulance to Dawson Creek or the nearest available facility.

Shortly after the reductions were announced, a patient died while en route to Dawson Creek and District Hospital in an ambulance.

Just last week, the district released a statement demanding increased transparency and clearer public engagement regarding the reductions.

At the time, Northern Health told Energeticcity.ca it takes the district’s concerns “very seriously,” says all decision-making has been “guided by discussions with clinical experts” and government leaders, and it is working with the “primary care network, physicians and specialists and other care providers to build a sustainable service model.”

For non-urgent care while the ER is closed today, patients are encouraged by Northern Health to contact their primary care provider. 

Those without a family doctor or nurse practitioner can call the Northern Health Virtual Clinic at 1-844-645-7811, available daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Indigenous residents and their family members can also access care through the First Nations Virtual Doctor of the Day program by calling 1-855-344-3800, seven days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Anyone unsure whether their condition requires an ER visit can contact HealthLink BC by calling 811, available 24/7.

To view the status of emergency departments across the Northern Health region, visit the health authority’s website, which complements announcements posted on various community Facebook pages.