Chetwynd hospital closes three times in one month

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. —  Northern Health announced three and a half days of emergency room closures in Chetwynd during the month of June. 

The Chetwynd General Hospital emergency department was the only Northern Health-operated medical facility to experience service diversions during June, closing for a total of 84.5 hours.

The emergency department was closed for 48 hours from 8 a.m. on June 7th to 8 a.m. June 9th, 11.5 hours from 7:30 p.m. on June 9th to 7 a.m. on June 10th and then for 25 hours from 7 a.m. on June 16th to 8 a.m. on June 17th. 

All the closures were due to “staffing challenges,” according to Northern Health’s social media closure announcements. 

In May, the Dawson Creek and District Hospital emergency department and the Chetwynd General Hospital closed three times for a total of 28.5 hours, and in April emergency departments across the region closed for 76 hours. 

Since January 2025, Northern Health has announced 19 emergency room closures across Northeast B.C., amounting to 357 total hours of service diversions.