Hay River cuts health services, inpatient beds, due to staffing shortages

There won't be a qualified emergency room physician at Hay River's health centre until March 28, says the local health authority.

On Friday, the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority said there will only be one nurse practitioner and one family physician in the community for the next week.

"All residents who present to the emergency department will be triaged and assessed by our nursing staff, who will consult with a physician at Stanton Territorial Hospital over the phone," wrote Erin Griffiths, the chief executive officer of the local health authority.

The health authority announced last week it is gearing up for six months of "unprecedented" staffing shortages that could result in a temporary reduction in health services in Hay River.

In Friday's update, Griffiths wrote that inpatient capacity at the Hay River Regional Health Centre will also be cut in half, from 12 beds to six, on April 1 as frontline nurses leave the community.

"As a result, more patients may be transferred out of community for care and treatment," Griffiths wrote.

The update noted that the upcoming staff departures are "for a variety of personal reasons such as moving closer to family, retirement and travel nursing opportunities."

The statement also noted that the authority is actively recruiting occupational therapists, physiotherapists, social workers, registered nurses, family physicians and lab technicians.