Nicola Valley Hospital emergency department closed overnight

MERRITT B.C. — The emergency department at the Nicola Valley Hospital in Merritt will be closed overnight.

Interior Health announced that emergency services will be unavailable at Nicola Valley Hospital from 6:00 p.m. Saturday (Aug. 8) to 7:00 a.m. Sunday (Aug. 9). Residents in need of emergency care are being asked to attend Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, which is near an hour drive away.

In a news release issued Saturday afternoon, the health authority says all other inpatient services will continue at Nicola Valley Hospital.

It’s the ninth temporary closure for the emergency department in Merritt in 2026.

Anyone in the Merritt area who is in need of life-threatening emergency care is asked to call 911 for transport to the nearest available and appropriate facility. Residents can call HealthLink BC at 811, or visit www.HealthLinkBC.ca for non-emergency health information, if they’re unsure if an emergency room visit is warranted.