Interior Health will be closing the Cariboo Memorial Hospital (CMH) emergency department in Williams Lake due to lack of physicians.
Interior Health announced the closure on Feb. 12 in the afternoon, and said as of 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12 the emergency department will be closed until 6 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 13.
Patients needing emergency care can access it in 100 Mile at the 100 Mile District General Hospital or at the GR Baker Memorial Hospital in Quesnel.
Inpatient services at CMH will continue, said Interior Health, in their release.
People needing emergency care for life-threatening emergencies such as chest pains or difficulty breathing should still call 911 in order to be transported to the nearest available facility.
Anyone uncertain whether they require a trip to the emergency room can call HealthLink BC at 811 or go to www.HealthlinkBC.ca.
Health information via these resources will be provided from nurses, dieticians, and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The emergency department is normally open seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
A sign posted in the window of the emergency department at CMH on Oct. 2, 2023 had said it was closed, “unless patient is imminently dying” however Interior Health has said it was never actually closed.
READ MORE: Interior Health reviewing why ER closure sign posted at Williams Lake hospital
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