No extension posted to overnight SOGH emergency department interruption

OkanaganRegional
Written By Shara Cooper MA, MFA

The South Okanagan General Hospital and Oliver Health Centre sign in Oliver.

Photo credit: Interior Health

OLIVER — Interior Health has posted no extension to an overnight interruption of emergency services at South Okanagan General Hospital that was scheduled to end at 7 a.m. Monday.

The health authority announced Sunday that the Oliver hospital’s emergency department would be unavailable from 5 p.m. Sept. 27 until 7 a.m. Sept. 28. As of Monday morning, Interior Health had not issued a separate extension or reopening notice.

The hospital’s regular facility page lists its emergency department as operating 24 hours a day. Interior Health did not state a reason for the temporary interruption.

During the overnight closure, patients needing emergency care were directed to Penticton Regional Hospital. Interior Health said all other inpatient services at South Okanagan General Hospital would continue during the interruption.

People requiring life-threatening emergency care should call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility. Interior Health advises people who are unsure whether they need emergency care to call HealthLink BC at 811.

Shara Cooper MA, MFA

Shara Cooper is a writer, editor and independent publisher based in Edmonton, Alberta. She is the founder of Nordic Prairie Life and SCENE 49 and publishes The Boundary Sentinel, an independent news publication serving British Columbia’s Boundary region. Her work spans journalism, essays, culture, history and community storytelling, and her writing has appeared in various publications including the Toronto Star.

https://www.sharacooper.ca
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