Vancouver Island hospital suddenly shuts down ER due to staff shortage
The emergency department at Port McNeill Hospital unexpectedly shut down on Friday evening due to a staffing shortage.
Around 5:30 p.m., Island Health said that the ER at the hospital would be closed from 7 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday because of an "unanticipated" shortage of nurses.
During this time, the hospital will also not be accepting new patients.
Island Health says anyone in the community that has a medical emergency should call 911 or head to Port Hardy Hospital if possible.
If you're unsure if you're having a medical event that requires an emergency visit to the hospital, Island Health says you can contact HealthLinkBC for free at 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day.
Island Health says it wasn't aware of the nursing shortage at the North Island hospital until Friday afternoon.
"Despite immediate effort from local leadership to find alternate nursing coverage, nursing coverage has not been secured," said the health authority in a statement Friday.
"Island Health acknowledges this is not an ideal situation for the community and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience experienced by this temporary service reduction."
This is the third time that Port McNeill Hospital has faced emergency department closures in as many months.
Earlier in May and in March, the hospital warned of weekend ER closures due to staff shortages.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.