A notice from the Northwest Territories Health and Social Services Authority (NTHSSA) is advising residents that the Public Health Clinic in Yellowknife will be closed on Friday, August 19, 2022.
Reasoning for the temporary closure is that “staff will be attending a training workshop”, according to the notice.
The closure is not considered a reduction of service, that being a separate item which the NTHSSA gave notice on earlier this month.
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Among services that were actually reduced in Yellowknife, the Stanton Operating Room at Stanton Territorial Hospital will be running at a reduced rate until January of 2023.
“This service reduction is happening due to lower than normal staffing for nurses in this specialized area,” read the NTHSSA’s previous notice. “Post-pandemic recruitment, especially in specialized areas, has become extremely challenging, and Stanton is facing a shortage of operating room trained nurses during this period. Reducing services will allow for continued safe delivery of care while reserving capacity for urgent and emergent cases.”
“Stanton’s operating rooms will continue to operate at 50 [per cent] capacity for scheduled surgeries with a second operating suite on stand-by for emergency cases and opening as staffing is available on a day by day basis. As surgeries are generally only scheduled 2-3 weeks in advance, and with Stanton’s operating rooms currently undergoing their scheduled summer closure, cancellations are not expected.”
Regarding the Public Health Clinic, residents that require care are asked to call the Yellowknife Primary Care Clinic at (867) 767-9294.
Health clinic services will resume on Monday, August 22.