'Staffing crisis' forces reduced hours at B.C. hospitals, cancelled surgeries
CTV
Health authorities in B.C. announced their plans to address persistent staff shortages amid the latest wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with strategies including reduced hours, cancelled surgeries and fewer hospital beds.
Health authorities in B.C. announced their plans to address persistent staff shortages amid the latest wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with strategies including reduced hours, cancelled surgeries and fewer hospital beds.
Health Minister Adrian Dix said Tuesday each authority is responsible for coming up with its own plan to help "stabilize the health-care system."
"I understand some of these measures may cause concerns and challenges for patients. We are determined to get services up, back and running in full as soon as possible," he said.
Some of the most extensive service changes planned in B.C. are in the Interior Health authority, which serves just over 800,000 people.
"As we manage the Omicron-driven COVID-19 staffing impacts on the health system, Interior Health is proactively identifying services to adjust and relocate in order to maintain safe patient care," said Interior Health president and CEO Susan Brown.
"We will resume normal operations in impacted communities as soon as possible and in the meantime, we are temporarily reassigning and redeploying staff to sustain essential services throughout the region."
Those changes include temporarily closing several inpatient beds in Clearwater, Invermere and Lilloeet to prepare "for short-notice staff absences." Six to eight beds are closed at each of those locations.
