Fort Nelson ER closes all day for ‘staffing challenges’

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Emergency medical services will be unavailable for the entire day in Fort Nelson.

According to a Northern Health Facebook post on February 7th just before 10 a.m., the Fort Nelson General Hospital emergency department will be closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on February 7th due to “staffing challenges.” 

Anyone in the area in need of emergency medical care during the closure is urged to call 911 for transportation to the nearest appropriate medical facility. 

“Any time services are interrupted, our partners in patient transfer and local health services are notified and signage will be in place at the hospital informing patients to call 9-1-1 for transport,” Northern Health stated. 

Those in need of non-life-threatening medical treatment are encouraged to contact their primary care provider or the Northern Health Virtual Clinic by calling 1-844-645-7811 between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. daily. 

The post also detailed emergency room statuses “may change abruptly,” and the social media post “could be outdated” by the time it is viewed. 

In January, the health authority launched a webpage to track the status of emergency rooms and health centres across the region.

As of 12 p.m., the Fort Nelson General Hospital is listed as “temporarily closed.”

This is the second closure of a Northern Health-operated medical facility this month, after the Fort St. John Hospital’s emergency room closed overnight on February 6th.