Island Health is making an urgent plea to its staff to maintain patient care at West Coast General Hospital in Port Alberni.
If the staffing needs are not met, more patients will be diverted to Island Health’s other hospitals.
“That concerns me because you can’t get into a doctor quickly these days either,” said Jeannie Hepner, a Port Alberni resident.
This plea from Island Health, posted internally to its staff, was leaked to CHEK News.
This internal email to Island Health staff was leaked to CHEK News.
It says if critical shifts aren’t filled from Dec. 10 to 31, all patients will be diverted to another centre for care. It offers staff extra income, accommodation and travel funding to sweeten the deal.
It comes just two weeks after Island Health closed its Critical Care Unit at West Coast General for a lack of staff.
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It worries people coming and going from the hospital on Tuesday.
“That to me really concerns me. I mean, this is Canada, what is going on?” said Hepner.
A representative of the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District says it’s supporting the hospital as it’s able.
“The ACRD has been working hard. We understand that there are challenges with our hospital here, but we’ve been working hard with doctors, nurses, community members, First Nations, all looking for solutions to make sure that our hospital never closes,” said Penny Cote, the regional district’s “Area D” director.
If shifts aren’t filled, the hospital would operate more like the Oceanside Urgent Care Centre in Parksville, where patients are admitted, and a doctor or nurse determines the level of care needed, with patients moved to other hospitals as necessary. B.C.’s health minister says patients should continue going to the hospital.
“The communication that they’ve put out is part of standard process in expressing the urgency around this, so that locums and others who have the opportunity to come in know how important it is. Now it’s my expectation that Island Health will continue to do everything they can to fill these shifts,” said Josie Osborne, B.C.’s Health Minister, who is also the MLA for the area.
Osborne says she recognizes it’s vitally important the hospital stays open, and she expects it will remain open thanks to the health professionals who continue stepping up to fill staffing gaps.
In a statement, Island Health says it’s “committed to taking all steps possible to ensure people continue to get the care they need at West Coast General Hospital,” and adds that “even in a situation where inpatient care is challenged, the emergency department would remain open.
