The situation in Clearwater is in no way unique, but it was one of the early warning signs of a crumbling healthcare system in the rural areas of British Columbia. Clearwater is still suffering staffing shortages but are working to alleviate pressure on the nurses.
The emergency department at Clearwater’s Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital will be closed overnight for its third straight week due to staffing shortages.
Between Aug. 27 and Sept. 2, the department’s opening hours will be limited from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Interior Health said in a Friday news release, continuing the stretch of closures that began Aug. 11.
“There are times in Clearwater, in our section of the North Thompson Valley, where there are no emergency medical staff,” Clearwater Mayor Merlin Blackwell told Global News, citing challenges in ambulance staffing in the region as well.
During the diversion, patients in need of care are being told to go to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops or the 100 Mile House District General Hospital. Both are about an hour-and-a-half drive away from Clearwater.
