UPDATE: Outpatient lab and medical imaging services are available in Elkford today.
Late Monday, Interior Health advised staffing had been secured and lab and medical imaging services would be offered as usual Tuesday.
Earlier, The Free Press reported:
Elkford residents requiring blood tests and x-rays will have to travel to Sparwood or Fernie today after an unexpected closure at the local health centre.
On Monday, Interior Health advised outpatient lab and medical imaging services would not be available at the Elkford Health Centre Tuesday due to “unexpected limited staffing availability”.
“We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause,” said IH in a statement.
Normal lab and medical imaging services are expected to resume on Wednesday, March 6.
Alternate outpatient lab and medical imaging services are available at:
· Sparwood Health Centre (Mon to Fri 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m.)
· Elk Valley Hospital in Fernie (Mon to Fri 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.)
It’s not the first time services at the Elkford Health Centre have been affected by staffing issues.
Unexpected limited nurse availability closed the emergency department on July 10, 2018, and more recently on January 18, 2019.
LOOK BACK: Staffing issues close Elkford emergency department - again
The July 10 closure prompted calls from the BC Nurses’ Union for a new approach to staffing and recruitment.
LOOK BACK: ED closure a sign of a health system in crisis: union