Once again the city of Williams Lake is asking for a meeting with Interior Health regarding the notice of closure sign posted at Cariboo Memorial Hospital on Oct. 2.
A sign posted for several hours read: The Emergency Room is Closed **Unless Patient is Imminently Dying** Sorry for the inconvenience.
Mayor Surinderpal Rathor wrote a letter addressed to CEO and President Susan Brownon Oct. 5, 2023 on behalf of council formally requesting a meeting with Interior Health and other stakeholders to discuss the sign.
He received a response from Brown, dated Oct. 25, in which she stated she would like to express her sincere “apology for the confusion that resulted in inaccurate information being shared which did not “reflect the availability of services in Williams Lake.”
Brown noted a review of the incident found there were some staffing challenges at the ER that day but the staffing compliment was stabilized and “the process to activate our service disruption process was not required.”
She stated the review also found the the sign did not accurately represent the status of the ER and the information shared to people who attended the ER did not “meet Interior Health’s standards of care.”
A number of people were transferred to 100 Mile House by B.C. Emergency Health Services, RCMP or family members, she confirmed.
Brown did not address the mayor’s request for a meeting, but closed her letter thanking him for his ongoing support of Interior Health’s efforts and of the physicians and staff providing care at Cariboo Memorial.
“We are committed to taking all necessary steps to rebuild trust in the local emergency department,” she added.
Responding, Rathor penned a second letter, dated Nov. 7.
In the letter he suggested “that organizing a meeting would be a tangible first step toward restoring trust in the management and operation of our local hospital.”
He also said he would like the Cariboo Regional District, Williams Lake First Nation, Cariboo-Chilcotin MLA Lorne Doerkson and the Central Interior Rural Division of Family Practice to be included in the meeting.
READ MORE: Williams Lake city council asks IH to disclose ER investigation results
READ MORE: Controversial ER closure sign in Williams Lake rooted in nursing shortage: Union
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