Northern Health officials are asking people to avoid the hospital if possible while staff test and repair equipment and facilities that were affected by a suspected power surge Saturday night.
Residents of Prince Rupert and area are asked to only attend the emergency department if their situation is urgent. 9-1-1 services are still available for patients that require immediate assistance. Patients who aren't sure whether their condition would warrant an emergency room visit, or who need health advice can call HealthLink BC (8-1-1), or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for health information from nurses, dietitians, and pharmacists 24 hours a day, seven days per week.
Visitors are asked to limit their trips to the hospital until further notice. Access to the upper floors is currently by stairs only, therefore people that have mobility restrictions do not have an accessible route. Maintenance personal are currently working on a solution to the elevator challenge. Patients on the upper floors are being treated and attended to as normal.
To protect patient safety, elective surgeries have been postponed to provide staff at the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital time to evaluate the equipment utilized. Staff and physicians still have the ability to safely perform emergency surgeries if required.
Assessments continue at the facility to determine timelines of when operations will return to normal.