$7.5M funding announced for Merritt, Salmon Arm and Oliver hospitals.

MERRITT — Some good news for Merrittonians after the Nicola Valley Hospital’s emergency department closed for the eighteenth time this year due to “staffing shortages.” The closure meant the Nicola Valley Hospital had been closed for 6 % of 2023, or once every three weeks on average.

A possible solution is on the horizon as the B.C. government will be providing funding to help put an end to the constant closures. It wasn’t just Merritt suffering with Oliver and Salmon Arm experiencing the same issues over the past year.

The province announced on Oct. 18 that it will provide $7.5 million to solve the staffing crisis in Merritt, Oliver, and Salmon Arm.

Health Minister Adrian Dix says challenges like worker recruitment and retention and the ongoing toxic-drug crisis are more prominent in rural and remote communities. Interior Health says a new compensation model for physicians in rural communities will pay them for their time spent at the hospital caring for patients, rather than the fee-for-service payment model.

they say they are working with local physicians for three service contracts for emergency service at the hospitals.