Emergency Department services at Stuart Lake Hospital in Fort St. James will be interrupted over the weekend due to physician shortage, said Northern Health.

ER services will be interupted between 8 a.m. August 5 until 8 a.m. August 6 due to an unavoidable gap in physician coverage, Northern Health said in an Aug. 4 release.

People in the Fort St. James area who need life-threatening emergency care (i.e. chest pains, difficulty breathing, or severe bleeding) should call 9-1-1 for transport to 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, Northern Health said.

For non-urgent care needs, patients can call the NH Virtual Clinic at 1-844-645-7811 (daily from 10am to 10pm) to access a family doctor or nurse practitioner: https://www.northernhealth.ca/locations/medical-clinics/virtual-clinic. Northern BC residents can also now book an appointment to see a pharmacist for 21 minor ailments and prescription contraceptives.

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.