Northeast emergency departments close for 76 hours in one month

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Residents in Chetwynd and Tumbler Ridge went without their emergency departments for almost 80 hours in April. 

Throughout the month of April, Northern Health announced three emergency room closures at two medical facilities across the Peace River region totalling 76 hours of diversions. 

Two of the closures were announced for the Chetwynd General Hospital emergency department and one at the Tumbler Ridge Health Centre’s emergency department. 

The emergency department in Tumbler Ridge was closed for 50 hours from 7 a.m. on April 14th to 9 a.m. April 16th, originally without notice. This is the first diversion the health centre has suffered since 2024. 

The Chetwynd General Hospital emergency department closed for 13 hours from 7 p.m. on April 10th to 8 a.m. on April 11th, and again for 13 hours from 7 a.m. on April 12th to 8 a.m. on April 13th. 

During the month of March, the Chetwynd General Hospital experienced Northern Health’s only northeast BC emergency department closure, diverting residents for 25 hours. 

Northern Health stated all the closures were due to nursing or staffing shortages, and posted notices for the two April Chetwynd closures on the Northern Health Chetwynd and Area Facebook group. 

So far this year, Northern Health facilities in northeast B.C. have reported 13 closures across five hospitals for a total of 244 hours.