Chetwynd Hospital emergency department sustains second diversion this month

CHETWYND, B.C. — Another diversion hit the Chetwynd Hospital’s emergency department Wednesday night.

Northern Health announced on Facebook at 4:32 p.m. Wednesday that the emergency department would be unavailable from 5:00 p.m. that day until 8:00 a.m. Friday, June 14th.

The listed reason for the diversion is “challenges with physician coverage.” 

While the diversion is happening, people who need urgent care are told to call 911 for an ambulance to the nearest available emergency room, located more than an hour away in Dawson Creek.

This is the second diversion to hit the hospital’s emergency department in June, and one of over a dozen since mid-April.

All those diversions have been caused by a lack of staffing — either doctors or nurses.

During the June 7th episode of This Week in the Peace, Health Minister Adrian Dix spoke about the diversions, saying the government is working to address staffing shortages with temporary workers and incentive programs.

Chetwynd’s mayor discussed the diversions during the May 31st episode of This Week in the Peace, saying they’re a major concern for council.

In an interview in early May, Peace River South MLA Mike Bernier called the diversions “horrifying.”

The South Peace Division of Family Care, a group of healthcare workers from Dawson Creek, Chetwynd and Tumbler Ridge, says it’s working to recruit and hire more doctors and nurses for the area.

The organization is also planning to turn Dawson Creek’s Eljen Healthcare Clinic into a “primary care hub” for the entire South Peace region, and it’s working alongside Northern Health to make it happen.