(Distance from Clearwater Hospital to Royal Inland in Kamloops/via Google Maps)
With the closure of the hospital emergency room in Clearwater this Sunday, the Highway 5 corridor north of Kamloops will have been without ER services for a combined 13 days this year.
Clearwater ED closed 6 a.m. Sunday to 7 a.m. Monday. In an emergency, call 9-1-1 or visit Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops. Interior Health regrets this temporary change. The ED will re-open Monday at 7 a.m.
— Interior Health (@Interior_Health) July 9, 2022
The loss of emergency room services, from 6am Sunday to 7am Monday, represents the longest closure of the ER in July at Dr. Helmcken Memorial — the latest in a string of staff-related shut-downs which have plagued the hospital and the region throughout this year.
The shutdown of the hospital’s emergency room this year date back to January 5th.
However, Clearwater’s ER shutdowns go back to the mid-point of the pandemic.
The lack of staffing has left Clearwater and the surrounding area without service for a combined 312 hours or 13 days, according to information released by Interior Health:
January 5th, 9pm to 7am, January 6th – 10 hours
**April 3rd, 5am to 7am, April 5th – 50 hours
April 6th, 4pm to 7am, April 7th – 15 hours
April 16th, 6pm to 7am, April 17th – 13 hours
April 18th, 6pm to 7am, April 19th – 13 hours
April 28th, 4pm to 7am, April 29th – 15 hours
May 10th, 3pm to 7am, May 11th – 16 hours
May 14th, 11pm to 7am, May 15th – 8 hours
May 15th, 4pm to 7am, May 16th – 16 hours
May 25th, 5pm to 7am, May 26th – 14 hours
June 3rd, 5pm to 7am, June 4th – 14 hours
June 4th, 5pm to 7am, June 5th – 14 hours
June 12th, 5pm to 7am, June 13th – 14 hours
June 24th, 6pm to 7am, June 25th – 13 hours
June 25th, 6pm to 7am, June 26th – 13 hours
**June 30th, 6am to 7pm – 13 hours (no daytime ER services)
**July 2nd, 8am to 8am, July 3rd – 24 hours
July 7th, 6pm to 7am, July 8th – 13 hours
(Notification of Clearwater ER closures to media outlets/via Interior Health)
The shutdown of the emergency room in Clearwater means those living, or travelling, through the area who need immediate medical care — such as those in a motor vehicle accident — are able to get local help by dialing 9-1-1, but are ultimately taken to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, which is well-over an hour away.
(Distance from Clearwater Hospital to Royal Inland in Kamloops/via Google Maps)
The 25 hour closure of the hospital’s emergency room in Clearwater through Sunday/Monday represents the latest in a series of community hospital ER shutdowns in the northern half of the Interior Health Region since the onset of the pandemic.
It comes as concerns continue to grow over the loss of emergency services along the Highway 5 corridor through the North Thompson due to intermittent shortfalls in emergency services in the regional hub, Kamloops, on top of the perceived dangers that both local and provincial officials have been expressing about the highway itself.
Interior Health has said it has put staffing issues as one of its top priorities.
