A woman in Fort St. John is speaking out about overcrowding at the hospital.
Jo Ann Mitchell says the Inpatient Unit has been over capacity for at least two months, noting a jump in patients since November.
She visits her husband there daily and recalls a nurse telling her the unit, built for 40 beds, had 56 patients on Monday and 60 on Tuesday—numbers confirmed by CJDC-TV News.
BC’s Health Minister pledged last year to lower nurse-to-patient ratios, with the BC Nurses’ Union saying one nurse in the unit typically cares for four patients.
Mitchell feels nurses are overwhelmed and burning out, which she believes worsens staffing shortages.
Northern Health acknowledges higher-than-usual patient volumes, blaming factors like respiratory illness season and seasonal injuries, and says it is actively recruiting more health-care staff while asking for the community’s patience and support.
Northern Health says it continues to recruit physicians, nurses, and other skilled health-care staff in communities across the region, including in Fort St. John.
“We appreciate community members’ patience, understanding and support for the dedicated health-care providers and staff at Fort St. John Hospital,” it said.
-with files from Noah Abel CJDC
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