The Emergency Department at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital in Clearwater, BC — which is normally open 24/7 — is currently on diversion for five nights due to staffing shortages..Its doors closed at 6 p.m. Wednesday until 7 a.m., and the department will remain closed during the same time frame each night until August 7 according to Interior Health..“Interior Health regrets this temporary change,” the notice read..The department’s five-night diversion follows a long series of sporadic closures, with patients redirected to 100 Mile House District General Hospital or the already understaffed Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, both of which are more than 100 km away..Emergency centres across the BC have been dealing with unexpected — or expected, depending who’s asked — closures as a staffing shortage increasingly plague the province.."This is not a BC problem. It's a national problem,” said BC Premier John Horgan Wednesday..Horgan has been calling on the federal government to increase funding for healthcare issues, such as hospital staffing shortages and a lack of access to family doctors.."Families concerned about being able to access primary care is a real and pressing problem, and we're doing everything we can to address it. But it needs to be across the country, not just across the community," he said..Regarding primary care, one million British Columbians are without a family doctor and remain unable to get one, according to the BC College of Family Physicians. A research poll released by the college in April shows 40% of those who do have a family doctor in BC are worried they will be lost to practice closure or retirement..As for emergency room closures due to staffing shortages, the situation also continues degenerating..In March of this year, the Hospital Employees’ Union released poll results suggesting one in three healthcare workers are likely to quit within the next two years..In April, public health officials said the province will address its nursing shortage by making it easier for internationally educated nurses (IENs) to get registered and licensed..The province will allocate $12 million to help IENs enter the healthcare system in a more streamlined manner. Bursaries for at least 1,500 nurses to help pay assessment fees will also also be included in the first year, as well as a marketing campaign to promote BC as a “desirable destination” for IENs..Officials have yet to provide a timeline for when unvaccinated nurses will be permitted to return to work..“I am proud that in British Columbia, unlike anywhere else in North America, 100% of our healthcare system workers are vaccinated with a primary series of COVID-19 vaccines,” said BC Health Minister Adrian Dix in July.
