Merritt residents facing 48-hours with no Emergency Department

For the second time this week, Merritt and area residents will have no access to the  emergency department at Nicola Valley Hospital due to limited physician availability.

Emergency services will be unavailable for 48 hours from 8 a.m. today (Sunday, July 7)  to 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9.

Patients can access care at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops during this time.

During this time, all other inpatient services will continue as normal at Nicola Valley Hospital.

People in the community who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e., chest pains, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding) should always call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility.

The closure of the emergency department comes at a critical time as heat warnings have been issued for the region which also means the chance of heat related illness increase especially those with breathing issues, seniors, and those who are pregnant.

This is the second closure of the Emergency Department at the Nicola Valley Hospital over the past four days. On Thursday, limited nursing availabilities was blamed for a 12-hour closure.