Limited nursing availability shutdown the emergency department at Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital in Clearwater overnight, according to Interior Health.
From 11 p.m. Monday, May 15 to 7 a.m. Tuesday, May 16, emergency services were unavailable and patients were directed to access care at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.
The emergency department in Clearwater is normally open 24/7.
The closure marks the first time since last year the Dr. Helmcken Memorial Hospital emergency department has been forced to close due to staffing issues. The hospital had experienced almost 60 closures over six months in 2022, but by working more closely with the union and community leaders, the hospital hadn’t seen any service disruptions since September.
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