For the second weekend in a row, residents of Prince Rupert have been put on notice about a closure for the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital Emergency Department, this latest one, effective at midnight Saturday to 8 AM Sunday.
As it was one week ago, an inability to arrange for physician coverage is the reason for the eight hour closure.
Much as the situation of last Friday, the most important piece of advice for residents is that of the alternative options for the closure period, for those who may be facing life threatening situations.
"If you have an emergency: People in Prince Rupert and area who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e. chest pains, difficulty breathing, or severe bleeding) should call 9-1-1 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility.
Any time services are interrupted, our partners in patient transfer and local health services are notified and signage will be in place at the hospital informing patients to call 9-1-1 for transport."
I suppose this will be the new norm for PR.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice to hear from B.C. ambulance on this one. What is their plan to transfer people who are having a medical emergency? Are they driving to terrace? Are they flying the helicopter? Are they increasing their staffing when these closures are announced? Have heard too many horror stories of ambulance delays and lone responders for the ambulance in the past year, now add on having the nearest hospital 150km away. Hopefully they have some plan in motion for this…
Now that they have done it once/twice, this is only going to keep happening more frequently. It will become the norm; the dam has finally broken. Healthcare in Prince Rupert has hit a new low and will only sink lower until it begins to be the reason why people leave this city.
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