Interior Health doesn’t have enough nurses to run the emergency department in Merritt tonight

Once again, Interior Health has to close Nicola Valley Hospital’s 24-hour emergency department for the night.

Emergency services will be unavailable from 6:30 p.m. tonight, Jan. 8, until 7 a.m. tomorrow. The health authority blamed nursing availability as the reason in a press release.

Patients from Merritt in need of emergency healthcare can go to the hospitals in Kelowna or Kamloops tonight, Interior Health says.

All other inpatient services will continue as normal at the Merritt hospital.

Temporary closures of Merritt’s 24-hour emergency department are announced regularly. Last month it had to be closed because of a doctor shortage, in November it was closed to due staff shortages, and in August it was closed because of limited doctor availability.

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