Photo: Contributed

Lillooet Hospital and Health Centre.

The emergency department at Lillooet Hospital and Health Centre will be closed for 13 hours starting Wednesday night.

Interior Health said in a notice that emergency services at the hospital will be unavailable from 7 p.m. Wednesday until 8 a.m. Thursday.

All other inpatient services will continue at Lillooet Hospital.

Patients are advised that emergency care can be accessed at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops during the closure.

“People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e., chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding) should always call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility,” Interior Health said.

“Anyone unsure whether an emergency room visit is warranted can call HealthLink BC at 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.”

IH has recently stopped providing information about the reasons for temporary emergency room closures, but they have typically been due to staffing shortages.