By Jill Sperling

Expectant parents express worry as Williams Lake hospital maternity ward closes

Mar 5, 2019 | 4:11 PM

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — Having a child is always a stressful time for young families.  So imagine the extra stress facing pregnant families in Williams Lake, where the maternity ward at Cariboo Memorial Hospital has been temporarly closed.

Interior Health says staff shortages have forced it to take the unusual step, saying it simply doesn’t have access to enough specialized maternity nurses to safely operate the maternity ward.

Cody and Amanda Nicholson are due in two weeks with their second child.  They’ve made plans to have their parents look after their first child while they travel to Kamloops.  But even with the help, Cody is worried the situation could cost them thousands in unplanned costs and lost wages. “I could potentially be missing a month of work.  The grandparents are missing work.”  He added, “it’s all the other things like your mortgage payment, your car payment, insurance, all of that stuff.”   

Interior Health says it is willing to provide some financial assistance to affected families, offering help to cover accommodation, food and lodging costs.  

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Williams Lake Mayor Walt Cobb says the city has even been involved in recruitment efforts.  He questions whether nursing positions have become too specialized. “We have some great nurses and they can do a lot of great things.  Unless it’s a really complicated birth, I don’t see why our normal nurses couldn’t look after it.”

Sara McCombe is still a few months away from her expectant date.  She’s hoping maternity services will return in June when she’s due, although given the circumstances, she’s not as confident in the hospitals ability to deal with any challenges that may arise.  “It makes me a little bit nervous,” said McCombe.  “They did indicate in the report that I was reading, that they would be new, just graduated nurses.” 

David Matear, the executive director for Interior Health West – Hospitals and Communities, says officials became aware of the potential staffing and recruitment issues last year.  He says they took steps then, in an attempt to prevent the problem.  “It was the inability for us to cover those shifts on short notice, which meant then that we couldn’t provide 24/7 inpatient nursing.”
 
Interior Health says babies can be delivered at Cariboo Memorial Hospital, but only in emergency situations.  It can’t say for certain when normal maternity operations will resume.