Same-day appointments, community outreach and more: Northern Health mulls next steps for Tumbler Ridge healthcare after ER on-call cuts

TUMBLER RIDGE, B.C. —Northern Health is planning focus groups and is exploring service expansion in a bid to stabilize Tumbler Ridge healthcare after it reduced on-call ER hours.

In an October 14th news release, the health authority said representatives have met several times with local leaders, residents and staff since the “temporary” changes to after-hours coverage took effect in early September.

Those changes shifted emergency response in the community to rely more on BC Emergency Health Services, with two ambulances stationed in Tumbler Ridge and additional advanced care paramedic support from Dawson Creek.

While the ER’s regular hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. are unaffected, the modified schedule limits on-call hours to 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, effectively removing an on-call service at evenings and weekends.

“We recognize there are some misconceptions, and we want you to know 24/7 emergency care remains available in Tumbler Ridge,” Northern Health said in the update. “The ER is open during regular hours, and if you call 911 after hours, two local ambulances and advanced care paramedics from Dawson Creek are ready to respond.”

The health authority said it understands many residents are concerned about access to local care and the long travel distances to larger hospitals, particularly during winter. 

A patient died while en route to Dawson Creek and District Hospital shortly after Northern Health’s initial announcement in September, leading Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka to say the changes were “putting lives at risk.”

However, Northern Health emphasized staffing shortages make it difficult to return to the previous on-call model without risking burnout or further physician loss.

Vice president of clinical operations Lisa Zetes-Zanatta previously told Energeticcity.ca the community is currently operating with just two doctors and recruitment remains a significant challenge.

At two open houses held in September, residents raised concerns about recruitment and retention, transportation options and limited primary care access. 

According to Northern Health, those discussions are shaping plans for new services once staffing improves, including possible weekend clinic hours for same-day appointments, expanded weekday ER hours and more community outreach services for seniors.

The health authority added that it plans to hold more focus groups in Tumbler Ridge this November and will continue to update residents on progress.

The update comes after a protest earlier this month and a petition, signed by more than 1,800 residents, which called on the province to restore full on-call coverage at the health centre.

“I think it’s great that we’re seeing residents come forward,” Krakowka told Energeticcity.ca after the protest. “We’re not going to go down quietly here. We believe the ER is important for our residents, our families and the visitors who come here to tour the back country.”

Northern Health maintains the approach is temporary while recruitment continues, adding the addition of the two ambulances stationed at the Tumbler Ridge Health Centre means “faster access to care.”