Three days after it returned to 24-hour operation following five straight nights of overnight closures, an emergency department in the B.C. Interior is closing again. This time, it will be closed for eight nights in a row.
Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital will be on diversion from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily beginning Thursday night and continuing through Aug. 18, according to a statement from Interior Health.
The emergency room is scheduled to resume 24-hour service at 7 a.m. on Aug. 19.
Other inpatient services at the hospital will continue as normal, Interior Health said.
Closures due to limited staffing availability have become routine in Clearwater and in other rural communities around the province as B.C.’s health-care system struggles with worker fatigue and burnout.
