Okanagan emergency department faces 6th overnight closure of the month

For the sixth time this month, some South Okanagan residents will be without an emergency department.

Interior Health says the South Okanagan General Hospital will be closed Tuesday night until Wednesday morning.

The closure begins at 5 pm and will last until 7 am.

Oliver and area residents are being told to access emergency care at the Penticton Regional Hospital.

That is about a 40 minute drive north.

All other inpatient services will continue as normal.

“People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e., chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding) should always call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility,” IH said in a news release.

The hospital was closed overnight on July 1, on July 6, on July 7, on July 11 and most recently overnight on July 15.