Provincial government planning to step in to improve healthcare access on Vancouver Island

Island Health and the Ministry of Health have announced plans to try and stabilize healthcare service on northern Vancouver Island, as staffing shortages have continued to lead to emergency room closures.

“We have heard the community loud and clear. People need to know when services are available and when they are not,” said Kathy MacNeil, president and CEO, Island Health.

“To prevent unexpected closures, Island Health is temporarily suspending overnight emergency department services in Port Hardy and on Cormorant Island while our new measures come into place. We will resume regular hours as soon as possible, and work to immediately accelerate efforts to expand services and strengthen staffing throughout the region.”

Emergency department services will be available from 7 am until 5 pm in Port Hardy, from 8 am until 7 pm on Cormorant Island, and 24 hours a day, seven days a week in Port McNeill.

Regular hours will be restored as soon as possible. In the interim, these hours will allow patients and families to know where and when emergency services are available.

The Province says that they are working on enhancing staff recruitment and retention incentives for eligible staff with travel-wage increases, upgraded accommodations for travelling staff, and more protection-service officers to improve safety and site support.

Island Health will establish daily shuttle services between Port Hardy and Port McNeill hospitals, as well as daily shuttles to Campbell River and the Comox Valley for patients and staff.

The health authority will also add new 24/7 mental-health and substance-use services, such as additional sobering and assessment centre beds to increase access to supportive care and reduce emergency department admissions.

Similarly, additional long-term care beds are being established in Port Hardy to improve patient flow at the hospital.

In the coming months, Island Health will commence expansions to computed tomography (CT) diagnostic services, upgrades to the Port Hardy and Port McNeill hospitals, and make expansions to home-health and home-support services, as well as mental-health and substance-use services throughout the region.

These initiatives will be funded with approximately $30 million in one-time capital and ongoing operating funding provided by the Ministry of Health.