Staff shortage forces closure of another Vancouver Island health-care centre
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.