The Emergency Department at Lakes District Hospital in Burns Lake will be closed between 8 a.m. Saturday, June 28 and 8: a.m. Sunday, June 29, due to staffing challenges, according to Northern Health.
People in the Burns Lake area who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e. chest pains, difficulty breathing, or severe bleeding) should call 9-1-1 for transport to St. John Hospital in Vanderhoof or the nearest available and appropriate facility. Any time services are interrupted, our partners in patient transfer and local health services are notified and signage will be in place at the hospital informing patients to call 9-1-1 for transport.
For non-urgent care needs, patients can call the NH Virtual Primary & Community Care Clinic at 1-844-645-7811 (daily, 10 am to 10 pm) to access a family doctor or nurse practitioner: https://www.northernhealth.ca/…/medical…/virtual-clinic. The First Nations Virtual Doctor of the Day program also enables Indigenous people and their family members living in BC with limited or no access to their own doctors to make virtual appointments, by calling 1-855-344-3800 (seven days per week, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm). And Northern BC residents can also book an appointment to see a pharmacist for 21 minor ailments and prescription contraceptives: https://www.bookapharmacist.gov.bc.ca/minorail/s/
Patients who aren’t sure whether their condition would warrant an emergency room visit, or who need health advice can call HealthLink BC (8-1-1) or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for non-emergency health information from nurses, dietitians, and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week.