Hay River's health centre has an ER physician again
Health centre had expected to be without an emergency room physician until March 28
The emergency department at the Hay River Regional Health Centre is resuming its physician services four days sooner than expected.
In a statement Tuesday evening, the Hay River Health and Social Services Authority announced it once again has a physician who will be in the ER as of Thursday.
The health authority had originally said last Friday that it would have no qualified physician in its emergency room until March 28. ER patients would be "triaged and assessed" by a nurse, who would call a physician in Yellowknife to consult.
That news followed the health authority's announcement last week that it is gearing up for six months of "unprecedented" staffing shortages that could impact services.
Erin Griffiths, the health authority's chief executive officer, thanked staff Tuesday for working together and weathering the difficulties the health system faces.
"Their readiness and ability to support our community during this time continues to be greatly appreciated," she wrote.
The health authority is still actively recruiting occupational therapists, physiotherapists, social workers, registered nurses, family physicians and lab technicians.
Griffiths wrote that the health authority is still working to fix staff shortages caused by a competitive job market, difficulties with recruiting, and vacancies from departures or retirements.