Northern Health to close Tumbler Ridge ER for Christmas Day

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Northern Health is closing the Tumbler Ridge Health Centre for Christmas Day while all other northeast ERs stay open. 

On December 8th, an individual posted to the Northern Health Tumbler Ridge and Area Facebook group to inquire about the accessibility of the community’s emergency department during the holiday season. 

In a comment reply, a member of Northern Health’s communications team stated the emergency department of the Tumbler Ridge Health Centre would be open on December 24th as usual, but would not be open for the statutory holiday of December 25th. 

Eryn Collins, the regional director of public affairs and media relations at Northern Health, confirmed the information to Energeticcity.ca, and stated Tumbler Ridge was being impacted like this because it is not a 24/7 emergency department.

“Fort St. John, Dawson Creek and Chetwynd hospitals are all 24/7 emergency department facilities, which do not close on statutory holidays,” Collins said.  

In comparison, the Tumbler Ridge Health Centre and its emergency department is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, with on-call services available from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. 

In September, Northern Health announced major changes to the health centre’s on-call hours, eliminating overnight and weekend access for residents. Following this change, residents need to call 911 for emergency care and transport to a medical facility outside the community outside of the health centre’s opening hours.