Staff shortage forces closure of another Vancouver Island health-care centre

File photo.

Staffing shortages have forced the closure of another Vancouver Island medical centre.

Island Health says officials made the decision to close the medical laboratory in Ucluelet, B.C., to ensure there are enough staff to operate inpatient and outpatient lab services at Tofino General Hospital.

The closure of the lab at 1566 Peninsula Rd. in Ucluelet takes effect Aug. 9 and will persist until more staff are hired.

"Island Health, like all health authorities across B.C. and Canada, is experiencing a shortage of qualified medical lab support staff," the health authority said in a release Monday night.

"This temporary closure will enable Island Health to consolidate staffing to support necessary services at TGH. Recruitment efforts are ongoing and it is expected that the Ucluelet outpatient lab will reopen when staffing levels allow."

Hospital emergency rooms on northern Vancouver Island have experienced rolling closures for several weeks due to limited staff availability.

Emergency rooms in Port McNeill and Port Hardy, B.C., were both closed for 12-hour periods last weekend. The two hospitals, located about a 30-minute drive apart, are each other's primary diversion locations when an emergency room is closed.

Patients who require lab services in Ucluelet during the closure should go to Tofino Genera Hospital, where additional outpatient lab appointments will be available, Island Health says.

"We acknowledge the inconvenience of this temporary change and appreciate people's patience as we work to support acute and outpatient services at TGH," the health authority said.