Staffing challenges could force temporary ER closures in northern Haida Gwaii

This story is part of Situation Critical, a series from CBC British Columbia reporting on the barriers people in this province face in accessing timely and appropriate health care.

The mayor of the Village of Masset on the northern coast of Haida Gwaii says their local hospital serves four communities, and she's worried about what could happen if an ongoing shortage of nurses and locum physicians forces the temporary closure of its emergency room.

On Friday, members of the community who shared Sheri Disney's concerns demonstrated outside the Northern Haida Gwaii Hospital (NHGH), in support of health-care workers and to call on the province to step in.

The mayor says the staffing issues are compounded by ambulance shortages, which often means paramedics responding to calls in Masset are coming from Port Clements, just over 40 kilometres south.

If the ER does shut down and someone suffers a heart attack or stroke, Disney says it's a significant wait time to get treatment at the next nearest hospital in Daajing Giids, over 100 kilometres south of Masset.

"Speaking with the medical responders that would actually be doing the work, they're looking at more than a three- to four-hour callout," she said.

She adds it's challenging to find qualified workers willing to work in a remote area, and those willing to move might not be able to find housing or the family supports they need.

In a news release Friday, Northern Health said it's struggling to recruit permanent and temporary nurses, and anticipates a need for locum physician coverage — when substitute doctors replace regular physicians — in the coming months.

"Significant efforts are underway to support health-care services at NHGH, including ongoing recruitment of and incentives for nursing staff, and continued deployment of staff through the NH Travel Resource Program," reads the statement.

Dr. Matthew Menard, who works as a locum physician in Masset, echoed Disney's concerns.

"People will die," he said. "That's inevitable if the closure happens long enough."

Menard says nurses working in the region should be involved in discussions with community leaders, the health authority and provincial government over solutions.

"None of these problems are new," he said, adding nurses at the hospital are tired and overworked, yet are being asked to do longer shifts for more days in a row amid the shortage.

"The administration in Northern Health and at the site have had ample time, ample opportunities to course-correct."

'No desire' for permanent service reduction: Northern Health

Ciro Panessa, northwest chief operating officer for Northern Health, said staff in Masset have been "working diligently" over the past few years to avoid this type of situation, but it's become more difficult to meet required staffing levels at NHGH.

"In the coming weeks there could be some temporary periods of time where we do have a service interruption in the emergency department, and have to limit the hours or our ability to care for acute patients," Panessa said in an interview.

"There are no plans and there is no desire to have any permanent service reduction," he added, explaining contingency plans would not affect the four long-term care beds at the hospital.

Panessa says ideally, the hospital would have two registered nurses working at all times, supplemented by care aides and licensed practical nurses. But the health authority is preparing contingency plans for when registered nurses aren't available.

He says he understands the community's frustration and he's committed to continue communicating and strategizing with Haida Gwaii leaders.

"We all have the same vision where we want to stabilize the hospital and reduce any risk of service interruption."

B.C. has expanded the Rural Retention Program to include Haida Gwaii, meaning additional financial incentives are available for people who decide to work there, as well as funding to help with housing and child-care services.

Panessa says support from the province combined with local efforts to reduce barriers to education, improve access to training, and prepare locals for careers in health care are part of a long-term plan to tackle the labour shortage on Haida Gwaii.