Ft. St. James, B.C.- The  previously announced closures to the Stuart Lake Hospital Emergency department has been revised.

Locum coverage has been  arranged to cover many of the days  that were  previously  announced as closure dates for the ER.

There will now be only one day in May where the emergency department is expected to be closed – May 23 from 8 a.m. to 8 a.m. on May 24. The community and Northern Health continue to work on securing locum coverage for this day.

There will still be three days in May where the emergency department will have limited physician coverage. That means physicians will be available to attend to serious emergencies requiring life and limb-saving procedures. There will still be nurses available at the emergency department on these days to provide triage advice or alert physicians to life and limb emergencies.

The dates the emergency room will have limited physician coverage are as follows:

• May 12 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• May 14 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• May 19 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Patients attending the emergency department with non-life threatening or non-limb saving needs will be encouraged to visit the Acute Care Clinic during its hours of operation, or will be referred to the next available emergency department.

During the  24 hours the emergency department will be closed on May 23 from 8 a.m. to May 24 at 8 a.m. those who require emergency attention can call 9-1-1 for transport to the next open emergency department in Vanderhoof or Prince George, or can seek private transportation. Please note that once discharged from the emergency department, patients will be required to find their own transport back to their home community. This can include through Northern Health Connections bus service.

Patients who aren’t sure whether their condition would warrant an emergency room visit, or who need health advice can call HealthLink BC (8-1-1), or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for non-emergency health information from nurses, dietitians, and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week.