MLA / Minister Osborne fights for ICU

First, I want to acknowledge just how essential WCGH is to our region. It serves the entire Alberni Valley, the West Coast communities, and many remote First Nations, people who depend on timely, local health care every single day, and many of whom already face extraordinary challenges as rural residents depending on WCGH for essential care. I also want to express my deep gratitude to the nurses, physicians, allied health professionals, and staff who continue to show extraordinary commitment and compassion during a very challenging time. Their dedication to patients is truly remarkable.

Island Health has assured me that they are taking every possible step to ensure people continue to receive the care they need at WCGH. Even in situations where inpatient care is strained, the emergency department remains open and ready to care for anyone who needs urgent help. Please, if you or someone else needs emergency care, continue to go to WCGH or call 911 as you normally would.

Island Health’s local teams are closely monitoring physician coverage, particularly over the upcoming Christmas period when staffing challenges can be greater. When gaps appear, Island Health uses multiple strategies to fill shifts, including sending urgent messages to a large network of physicians. These kinds of emails have been sent for WCGH and many other hospitals in recent months and years.

I’m encouraged to hear that at least three Island Health physician leaders have stepped up to take inpatient shifts, and this has been warmly received by the local physicians currently caring for unattached patients at WCGH. Additional physicians have also expressed interest, and discussions with them continue.

Temporary ICU diversion

I know how upsetting it is for people to hear that our local ICU is temporarily unavailable. Families rely on WCGH, and this kind of disruption causes worry and frustration. I hear that, and I share those concerns. I know this was not an easy decision taken by Island Health.

The reason for the temporary ICU diversion is a shortage of specialty-trained ICU nurses and physicians. After discussions with medical leadership at WCGH, Island Health determined that temporary measures were needed to ensure patients could continue to receive safe care. The ICU was placed on diversion on November 20 while Island Health works urgently to rebuild staffing.

Here’s what this means for patients:

Emergency care at WCGH is unchanged. If you need emergency medical attention, please continue to come to the emergency department or call 911.

The ED remains fully open and staffed by skilled nurses and physicians, supported by Internal Medicine specialists who care for many patients requiring higher-level monitoring.

Patients who need ICU-level care will be stabilized at WCGH and then transferred to the most appropriate hospital, most often the new, modern ICU at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

BC Emergency Health Services is fully engaged to ensure these transfers are done safely and efficiently, whether by air or ground.

People will continue to have access to specialized critical-care services when they need them.

For context, the three-bed ICU at WCGH typically sees about one patient every two days, and about 30% of patients who arrive needing intensive care are already transferred to other hospitals. That pattern will continue, with WCGH stabilizing patients before transfer, while Island Health works on restoring full ICU service.

I know this is difficult news for the community, and I want you to know that I am staying closely connected with Island Health’s leadership and the teams on the ground. I am committed to advocating for the resources and support WCGH needs, and to ensuring that people throughout the Alberni Valley and West Coast continue to receive safe, reliable, high-quality care.

I appreciate the meetings we have already had since late November between Island Health and local leaders, and the strong, collaborative focus on local recruitment and retention. While we continue to pursue every opportunity for a short-term resolution, we are also focused on the long-term stability of critical-care services in the region. Losing our ICU – even temporarily – has sharpened our focus on collaboratively-developed solutions for the coming months and years. We cannot rely solely on others to recruit new health care workers, it’s vital that we who know our community best make sure we are actively participating in finding, welcoming, and supporting health care workers who make the move to the Alberni Valley. Local physicians have already been convening larger meetings (thank you to our WCGH Medical Staff Association), and early in January, I will be convening a wide regional meeting of health-care partners, local leaders, First Nations, and community organizations to build on the work already underway by local providers. Our shared goal is to strengthen supports for the staff we have, build a sustainable workforce for the future, and ensure that any path forward is safe, reliable, and grounded in the needs and priorities of the community.

Thank you to everyone for your patience, your understanding, and your support for our health-care teams. I will continue to provide updates as this work moves forward