Northeast ERs approaching 170 hours of closures by April

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Chetwynd Hospital and Emergency Department (Caitlin Coombes, Energeticcity.ca)

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Emergency rooms in northeast B.C. have closed for almost 170 hours already in 2025.

During March, only one emergency room diversion was reported by Northern Health, a decrease from five in February.

The Chetwynd General Hospital emergency department closed at 7 p.m. on March 27th and was diverted for 25 hours, reopening at 7 a.m. on March 28th.

According to a social media post published at the start of the diversion, the facility was closed due to “staffing challenges.”

Last month, Northern Health-operated emergency room facilities across northeast B.C. were closed five times for a total of 61 hours.

The Chetwynd General Hospital was closed two times for 31 hours overall, the Dawson Creek and District Hospital closed twice for a total of 20 hours and the Fort Nelson General Hospital closed once for 10 hours.

So far in 2025, the Chetwynd General Hospital emergency department has closed seven times for a combined total of at least 129 hours, and the Dawson Creek and District Hospital has closed twice for 29 hours overall.

The Fort Nelson General Hospital has closed only once this year for 10 hours in February.

No closures have been reported in Fort St. John or the District of Tumbler Ridge so far in 2025.

In total, Northern Health has announced emergency room closures across the region 11 times, for a total of more than 168 hours, primarily due to staffing challenges.

In a meeting with the regional board of directors at the Peace River Regional District, Northern Health chief executive officer Ciro Panessa explained the health authority is working to establish “dedicated structures” for improving hospital flow and access, with a focus on expanding virtual support for physicians.

The BC Nurses’ Union also presented to the directors about its desire for governmental accountability on nurse-to-patient ratios.

Research supports the union’s stance that implementing ratios would assist with recruitment and retention efforts, which would lead to fewer emergency room closures.