The South Okanagan General Hospital’s emergency department will be closed for the second night in a row.
The facility was closed from 6 p.m. on March 24 until 7 a.m. on March 25, and it will now also be closed from 6 p.m. on March 25 until 7 a.m. on March 26.
Interior Health is advising that patients access care at the Penticton Regional Hospital during the closure.
The facility has faced intermittent but ongoing closures for over a year, and efforts to resolve the issue haven’t brought an end to the closures.
READ MORE: Emergency room in Oliver to close overnight
Interior Health stated in a press release that the closure is once again due to a staffing shortage.
People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e., chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding) are directed to call 911 for transport to the nearest available or appropriate facility.
Anyone unsure whether an emergency room visit is warranted can call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1, or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for non-emergency health information from nurses, dietitians and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week.
The hospital’s other services remain available and are unaffected by the closure.