Hudson’s Hope ER closes again for another week

HUDSON’S HOPE, B.C. — The emergency department at the Hudson’s Hope Health Centre will be closed again for another week.

According to the Northern Health Emergency Department status page, services will be unavailable until May 25th at 8:30 a.m. 

The department was closed for a week from May 8th and was scheduled to reopen today, May 19th, at 8:30 a.m. 

Northern Health, in a written statement to Energeticcity.ca, said: “The service interruption to emergency department services at Hudson’s Hope Health Centre is the result of staffing challenges, which in Hudson’s Hope can occur when physician coverage — or staffing for services that are also essential to providing emergency care, such as nursing or diagnostics are not available.” 

Hudson’s Hope Health Centre’s regular weekday emergency department services have been interrupted since May 8th, it said. 

“While emergency department services may be interrupted on a given day, other services such as diagnostics, community, primary care and some non-emergency urgent care/same day access can and do still occur, depending on the level of medical or other types of staffing needed,” it noted. 

During normal working hours, the centre is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Monday to Friday.

The health authority asked residents who need emergency care outside of normal working hours to call 911 to connect with BC Emergency Health Services for transportation to the nearest available hospital.