Nursing shortage leads to 25-hour closure of Clearwater emergency room

Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital in Clearwater/via Interior Health

The emergency department at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital in Clearwater will be closed for the third time in less than a month due to a shortage of nurses.

Interior Health says this latest closure will begin at 6 p.m. today, June 15, and the emergency department is expected to reopen at 7 p.m. tomorrow, June 16.

At 25 hours, it is the longest of three closures this year, with the other two lasting 13 hours each.

While all other services in Clearwater will continue as normal, Clearwater residents who need emergency care are asked to travel to Kamloops or 100 Mile House.

The closure comes days after Clearwater Mayor Merlin Blackwell said he was bracing for a tough few months, noting that Clearwater’s nursing situation was “being held together by medical tape and tenacity.” for a long time “.

“I think we’re at the point where there are enough gaps that we’ll see more closures over the next few months,” Blackwell said, noting that the situation appears to have reached a breaking point — as she l ‘did in 2022. – as fatigue sets in.

“You can only Band-Aids, Palliatives, Agency Nurses and whatever you want to call these positions for so long before you run out on all our options, running out of favors and people to call.”

Interior Health’s executive director of clinical operations for Thompson-Cariboo, Karen Cooper, told Radio NL they had to fill a “handful” of nursing positions in Clearwater to get to a situation where closing wards Emergency would not be necessary.

“Part of the cause of the shortages is of course that this is the time of year when our employees want to take vacation and are potentially less likely to respond to calls,” Cooper said.

“(We are) working very hard with our provincial partners to increase the number of (travel nurse) agencies that are on our list for approval for use, as well as a provincial strategy to have these rapid deployment teams .”

As has been the case with previous emergency room closures, Clearwater residents who need life-saving emergency care should call 9-1-1.

People who are unsure whether they should go to the emergency room are encouraged to contact HealthLink BC.