The Campbell River hospitalB次元官网网址檚 lab services have experienced periods of closure in recent weeks and Island Health is asking for the publicB次元官网网址檚 patience while it deals with the situation.
But the staffing shortages feeding the closures are hardly unique to that facility, Island Health says. They are being felt throughout the province.
B次元官网网址淎 shortage of trained lab staff (Medical LaboratoryTechnologs [MLT] and Medical Lab Assistants [MLA]) is not unique to the NIH-CR, a specific region with Island Health, or even B.C.,B次元官网网址� a statement from Island Health says. B次元官网网址淭his is an identified national issue affecting health authorities and hospitals across Canada.B次元官网网址�
The public is often greeted by a sign outside of the North Island Hospital B次元官网网址� Campbell River (NIH-CR) campus stating that the hospital lab is closed due to staffing shortages.
Area resident Eileen Mackay outlined her recent experience in a letter to Black Press Media.
B次元官网网址淚 have three times tried to get blood work done in the past three weeks with no success,B次元官网网址� she wrote. B次元官网网址淢y booking at the Quadra lab on March 20 was cancelled the night before as (there was) no staff. I tried Campbell River Hospital as a walk-in the next day at 3 p.m. to find it was shuttered. You need to book 2-3 weeks in advance if possible.
B次元官网网址淚 tried again yesterday but it had closed at 2:30 p.m. They sent me to LifeLabs where I walked in and had the procedure done within five minutes. Why is our hospital, paid for by my taxes sending me to a private lab?B次元官网网址�
Black Press Media attended the lab twice to drop off a sample to find it closed due to staffing shortage the first time and appointments-only the second time (but not for drop-offs). At the second incident, a frail patient in a wheelchair was attempting to get in for labwork but was told it was appointments only and that they could not be accommodated.
When asked to talk to someone at Island Health about the situation, Black Press Media was provided with a response from a communications staffer to be attributed to Island Health. The lab closures are not as frequent as it seems anecdotally on social media, Island Health indicated, and they wonB次元官网网址檛 affect inpatient services (patients admitted to hospital).
B次元官网网址淭o clarify, the NIH-CR outpatient lab has only been closed for a total of 3.5 hours over two days in 2024 (March 18 and April 2),B次元官网网址� the statement says. B次元官网网址淭here have been no interruptions to in-patient lab services, including for urgent and critical sample collection and analysis.B次元官网网址�
The priority for Island Health lab services will be inpatient needs first and out-patient (walk-in patients) second.
B次元官网网址淚sland HealthB次元官网网址檚 priority is maintaining all inpatient and emergent lab services that support our inpatients and clinical teams at NIH-CR,B次元官网网址� Island Health says. B次元官网网址淲hen there are short notice absences (due to things like illness) for lab staff scheduled to work in the inpatient lab that canB次元官网网址檛 be immediately backfilled, we will shift staff from the outpatient lab to ensure all inpatient services remain unaffected.B次元官网网址�
When this occurs, there can be temporary situations where we can only serve people with booked appointments for outpatient collection, Island Health says. The public is enouraged to book appointments by going online or calling 1-866-370-8355.
B次元官网网址淚sland Health understands and acknowledges it can be frustrating for people when walk-ins cannot be accommodated. We ask for your continued patience and understanding as we work to prioritize critical inaptient services.B次元官网网址�
Island Health also suggested that there is a LifeLabs location in Campbell River for non-urgent outpatient collections open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. Call 1-800-431-7206.
Meanwhile, to deal with the staff shortages specific to the Campbell River hospital, recruitments are ongoing.
B次元官网网址淚sland Health has and continues to undertake significant and focused actions to support staff retention, as well as short and long-term recruitment,B次元官网网址� Island Health says.
Recent actions include:
- Securing staff volunteers from ther sies who are willing to be re-deployed to NIH-CR to cover a short term absence.
- Implemented multiple recruitment strategies, including signing bonuses for new, trained MLT staff.
- Layering additional staff at other sites to create backups in case of an urgent need for re-deployment.
- Developed an in-house training program to upskill MLAs to perform many MLT duties within their sope of practice. The second cohort of MLAs undergoing this training is nearing completion.
