Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake will be closed for third consecutive night due to staffing shortage

Photo: Contributed

For the third time in as many days the emergency department at the Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake will be temporarily closed due to staffing shortage.

In a press release, Interior Health amounted the ER will be unavailable effective 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 6, until 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, July 7 due to a lack of available nurses.

The closure was announced at about 3:30 p.m.

Patients are advised they can access care at 100 Mile District General Hospital in 100 Mile House, GR Baker Memorial Hospital in Quesnel, or Bella Coola General Hospital in Bella Coola during the closure.

All other inpatient services will continue as normal at Cariboo Memorial Hospital.

People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care for issues such as chest pains, difficulty breathing and severe bleeding should always call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility, IH said in the release.

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, dieticians and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week.

The emergency department in Cariboo Memorial Hospital is normally open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It was closed overnight Thursday and Friday evening as due to staffing shortages as well.