Even with a task force in place to cut down on emergency room closures in northwest B.C., the ongoing shortage of physician coverage is still causing interruptions to emergency services.
On July 7 and 9, Emergency Department (ED) services at Prince Rupert Regional Hospital were interrupted between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. due to staffing challenges.
Across Northern Health, more than 90 per cent of closures in Prince Rupert and at Kitimat General Hospital between Jan. 1 and June 30 were the result of staffing shortages, primarily emergency-trained physicians and nurses.
However, as of June 30, there have been no emergency service interruptions at Ksyen Regional Hospital in Terrace or Bulkley Valley District Hospital in Smithers.
In May 2024, Northern Health established an Emergency Department Stabilization Taskforce to identify innovative ways to reduce emergency department service interruptions in communities across the region. The task force has piloted and implemented recruitment incentives, which includes extended use of GoHealthBC agency and temporary staff to fill vacant shifts, exploration of virtual services to augment in-person staff, adapted roles for medical staff in the ED and more.
The task force's efforts have contributed to a 6.2 per cent decrease in the number of service interruptions in the region between Jan. 1 and June 30 this year compared to the same period in 2024.
"The GoHealthBC program for nurses and medical laboratory technologists is a creative, innovative and flexible approach to serving rural and remote communities," Northern Health stated.
Northern Health is also working in collaboration with BC Health Careers to recruit various positions such as nurses, nurse practitioners and physicians. Dedicated recruitment teams are working to fill the numerous vacant positions throughout the Northern Health Region.
"Our teams are collaborating with municipalities and community partners to explore creative solutions to attract health care staff to the North," Northern Health stated.
