As one Interior Health ER reopens, another shuts its doors

Residents in and around 100 Mile House will be without an emergency department for 13 hours today.

The ER at 100 Mile District General Hospital closed its doors at 7 am this morning and the closure is expected to last until 8 pm tonight.

During the closure, patients needing emergency care are being directed to Cariboo Memorial Hospital or Williams Lake Urgent Primary Care Centre.

As the ER in 100 Mile House closed its doors, the ER at Nicola Valley Hospital in Merritt reopened its doors after an overnight closure.

The emergency department in Merritt shut at 8 pm on Saturday and remained closed until 7 am Sunday.

During the closure, patients were directed to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.

“People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care (ie, chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding) should always call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility,” wrote Interior Health.

“Anyone unsure whether an emergency room visit is warranted can call HealthLink BC at 811, or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for non-emergency health information from nurses, dietitians and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week.”