Image: Q101.ca (Merritt ) / Nurses concerned with working conditions at Nicola Valley Hospital in Merritt took part in a noontime rally Wednesday (Apr. 17), protesting perpetual closures in the emergency department, weekly service disruptions and ongoing patient diversions.

By Mike Vanden Bosch and Zach Amin, Q101.ca

Nurses rally in Merritt

Nurses rally to pressure B.C. NDP govt. to make changes at hospital in Merritt; ER was closed 17 times in 2023

Apr 18, 2024 | 8:58 AM

MERRITT — Nurses concerned with working conditions at Nicola Valley Hospital in Merritt took part in a noontime rally Wednesday (Apr. 17), protesting incessant closures in the emergency department, weekly service disruptions and ongoing patient diversions.

The rally was held between noon and 1 p.m. Wednesday behind the hospital in the Community Gardens.

Nicola Valley Hospital in Merritt saw over a dozen closures of its emergency room due to staff shortages in 2023, and has already closed its emergency department twice this year thus far.

BC United MLA Jackie Tegart, representing the Fraser-Nicola riding, attended the B.C. Nurses Union’s rally and called for a staff contingency plan and safer working conditions at the hospital.

“For too long, the cries for help from nurses and the Merritt community have been met with inaction by the NDP, leading to an escalating health care crisis,” said Tegart. “With the emergency room shut down 20 times last year and twice already this year, it is imperative that David Eby acts now to stem this crisis and restore reliable medical services in the community.”

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The Merritt emergency department closed a total of 20 times, forcing patients to drive long distances to access urgent care.

A drive to Kamloops Royal Inland Hospital is 45-60 minutes away. Depending on the severity of the situation, a wait time like that could be life-threatening depending on the amount of time it would take to be treated in Kamloops.

With an aging population in Merritt the situation becomes even more dire, with nurses needing better working conditions in order to live and work here.

“It’s the employer’s duty to ensure a safe workplace,” says BCNU President Adriane Gear. “Despite nurses repeated asks for security at this facility, nothing has been done. This, as they work 16-hour-plus shifts to keep the ER doors open because of the staffing challenges they continue to deal with.”

Nurses say a lack of long-term care facilities has also put pressure on the hospital’s ER,

Gear says there’s no action plan in place to effectively keep the nurses who currently work at the hospital and recruit other nurses to the community.

“Nurses don’t want to see patients suffer any longer. The people of Merritt deserve better health care,” she says.