Port McNeill Hospital emergency department closed again Sunday

Port McNeill Hospital on northern Vancouver Island is shown.

The emergency department at a North Island hospital has once again closed unexpectedly because of a lack of staff.

In a statement issued Sunday after the closure had already begun, Island Health said Port McNeill Hospital's emergency room would be closed from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. that day "due to limited staffing availability."

All other inpatient services at the hospital will continue as normal, the health authority said, adding that those in need of emergency care should call 911 or, if possible, travel to Port Hardy Hospital.

"Island Health and BC Emergency Health Services have protocols in place to ensure patients are transported to the appropriate site," the health authority's statement reads.

Sunday's closure is the latest in a string of them at Port McNeill Hospital, and Port Hardy Hospital has also been affected by limited staff in recent weeks.

Earlier this month, the two facilities had to close their emergency rooms on consecutive days, prompting concerns about the collapse of the region's health-care system from the BC Nurses Union and the BC Green Party. 

Other facilities on Vancouver Island and across the province have also been struggling to stay open this year, as the twin crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and record-breaking numbers of toxic drug overdoses put increasing strain on the province's health-care system.

Earlier this year, a poll from the Hospital Employees Union suggested one in three B.C. health-care workers are likely to leave the profession in the next two years due to stress and burnout. 

On Friday, Island Health announced upcoming closures and hours reductions at Chemainus Health Care Centre (CHCC) and Cormorant Island Community Health Centre. Those changes are also due to a lack of staff.