Health care centre reducing operating hours in Chemainus, B.C.
A Vancouver Island health care centre is reducing its operating hours because of staffing considerations.
Island Health announced Saturday that, effective immediately, the Chemainus Health Care Centre would be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. rather than from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
"This adjustment will ensure physicians and staff can provide access to safe and sustainable care during peak hours," the health authority said in a statement.
Demand during the cut service hours was low, according to Island Health, which said the facility served one patient per day, on average, during its open hours before 8 a.m. and after 8 p.m.
The health authority advised people in need of urgent care before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m. to visit the Ladysmith Community Health Care Centre – which is open from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. – or the Cowichan District Hospital emergency department, which is open 24 hours a day.
While Island Health did not directly attribute the change in hours to a shortage of staff, it concluded its statement by saying it "continues to recruit to support a sustainable staffing model for the Chemainus Health Care Centre."
The change in hours comes against a backdrop of significant doctor shortages on Vancouver Island and across B.C.
On Thursday, hundreds of doctors and patients rallied at the provincial legislature to demand action from the provincial government to improve access to family doctors.
One in five people in the province do not have a family doctor and those who do typically wait several weeks for the next available appointment.
Urgent and primary care centres around the province are intended to help improve access to primary care for those without family doctors, but Island Health has admitted in the past that staffing the facilities has been a "challenge."
A recent study showed that Victoria had the longest wait times at walk-in clinics in all of Canada, and seven of the top 10 cities for longest wait-times were in B.C.
Premier John Horgan has acknowledged the problems, blaming the situation – in part – on a lack of federal funding and continued migration into B.C. from other provinces.
"The number of British Columbians without access to an in-person family physician is a real problem," the premier said in a statement this week, after meeting with protesting doctors.
"Going forward, the provincial government has committed to working closely with Doctors of B.C. on solutions, including a clear process with firm timelines in order to make tangible progress on this complex problem," he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
A newspaper says video of Prince William and Kate should halt royal rumour mill. That's a tall order
Prince William and his wife Catherine have been filmed at a farm shop near their Windsor home, The Sun newspaper reported -- the first footage of Kate since she had abdominal surgery for an unspecified condition two months ago.
'You ask for your money, they disappear': Ontario man loses $17K to AI crypto scam
A Toronto man is spreading the word of a cryptocurrency scam that lures victims using AI-generated news sites after he lost $17,000 in investments.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
High thoughts: The habits of Canadian cannabis users are revealed in a new StatCan report
Statistics Canada has conducted a series of surveys to measure the impacts of legalized cannabis since the Cannabis Act took effect in 2018. The latest one, the 2023 National Cannabis Survey, sheds light on users' preferences and habits last year.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Trump says Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and their religion
Former U.S. president Donald Trump on Monday charged that Jews who vote for Democrats 'hate Israel' and hate 'their religion,' igniting a firestorm of criticism from the White House and Jewish leaders.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Freddie Mercury's home is on the market for first time since 1980 minus his 'exquisite clutter'
Freddie Mercury's sanctuary in London, where he lived the last decade of his life, is on sale for the first time in nearly half a century -- minus his "exquisite clutter."
'The lost season': Winter comes to a close as Canada's warmest on record
The warmest winter on record could have far-reaching effects on everything from wildfire season to erosion, climatologists say, while offering a preview of what the season could resemble in the not-so-distant future unless steps are taken to cut greenhouse gas emissions.