Robust staffing measures have kept Ksyen Regional Hospital's ER open when doctor and nurse shortages have closed other ERs in the north for periods of time.
In labelling Ksyen as a facility serving not just Terrace but other communities, Northern Health uses what it terms as "regional and local mitigation steps," including bringing in physicians from other Northern Health healthcare facilities and importing doctors from elsewhere for temporary ER duty.
Between Ksyen's first official opening date of Nov. 24, 2024, and July 14, 2025, the ER has not been closed once.
That's compared to Kitimat General Hospital's ER which ranks in the top 10 of B.C. ERs with the most temporary closures. Also experiencing staff shortages in the north are Northern Haida Gwaii Hospital on Haida Gwaii, Prince Rupert Regional Hospital in Prince Rupert and Lakes District Hospital and Health Centre in 亚洲天堂 Lake.
Ksyen's ER staffing calls for a shift to have two physicians (dropping to one overnight), five registered nurses, one social worker and one Indigenous Health service assistant. This does not include other employees elsewhere, such as those in the lab.
The physicians are a combination of those working under contract, those from the local medical community and physicians brought in from the outside for temporary duty.
The five-nurse quota is met by a complement of 12 emergency-trained nurses supplemented by a provincial program called GoHealthBC, which covers the travel of nurses being flown in and their accommodation expenses while in Terrace. It maintains approximately a dozen accommodation properties in Terrace. Northern Health also uses nurses hired through private staffing agencies.
At any one time, approximately 20 per cent of the nurses working in Northern Health's area are not on its regular payroll.
Starting last May, Northern Health formed a specialized group to accelerate its use of GoHealthBC and private agencies to bring in the nurses it needs. Bonuses, virtual health care services and expanding the use of nurse practitioners and associate physicians have also been used to fill gaps.
"While some communities continue to experience persistent staffing challenges contributing to emergency department service interruptions, overall the task force鈥檚 efforts have contributed to a 6.2 per cent decrease in the number of service interruptions region-wide between January 1 and June 30, 2025, compared to the same period in 2024," Northern Health said in a provided statement.
In terms of actual numbers, there were 272 in the first half of 2025 compared to 290 for the same period in 2024.
While Ksyen's ER has not had to close, it has issued a cautionary note to those wanting to use its service.
The ER "is experiencing higher than usual patient volumes, and wait times in the emergency department may be longer than usual," a July 3, 2025 notice indicated.
"To help reduce strain on emergency and acute care resources, those with less urgent care needs are advised to visit their primary care provider/family physician鈥檚 office or a local walk-in clinic during regular business hours."
Patients without a family doctor or nurse practitioner are being asked to call Northern Health's virtual clinic at 1-844-645-7811 (10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, including weekends and statutory holidays).
The health care authority also reminded people that pharmacists can now handle 21 minor ailments and issue prescription contraceptives.
