Northern Health made the post about the closure Wednesday afternoon
Northern Health is advising residents that the emergency department at the Fort St. James Hospital will be closed overnight March 26.
The closure is in effect from 4 p.m. today until 8 a.m. Thursday, March 27 due to staffing challenges, noted Northern Health in a Facebook post.
People in the Fort St. James area who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e. chest pains, difficulty breathing, or severe bleeding) should call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility. Any time services are interrupted, our partners in patient transfer and local health services are notified and signage will be in place at the hospital informing patients to call 911 for transport.
For non-urgent care needs, patients can call the NH Virtual Primary & Community Care Clinic at 1-844-645-7811 (daily, 10 am to 10 pm) to access a family doctor or nurse practitioner: https://www.northernhealth.ca/…/medical…/virtual-clinic.
The First Nations Virtual Doctor of the Day program also enables Indigenous people and their family members living in BC with limited or no access to their own doctors to make virtual appointments, by calling 1-855-344-3800 (seven days per week, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm). And Northern BC residents can also book an appointment to see a pharmacist for 21 minor ailments and prescription contraceptives: https://www.bookapharmacist.gov.bc.ca/minorail/s/
Patients who aren’t sure whether their condition would warrant an emergency room visit, or who need health advice can call HealthLink BC (8-1-1) or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for non-emergency health information from nurses, dietitians, and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week.
Fort St. James ER to close overnight March 26
