The closure of the Interior Health (IH) outpatient lab in the Sterling Centre professional building in Vernon, B.C. will be permanent.
The blood collection lab has been closed since Oct. 26, 2021, due to staffing shortages.
Specifically, the health authority said the problem was that they were having trouble recruiting medical lab assistants.
Faced with questions about the future of the site on the anniversary of the shutdown, Interior Health said Thursday that it won’t be reopening the blood collection lab.
However, the health authority said it is working with its partners to expand lab services in Vernon and hopes to have more details soon.
“Sterling lab employees have all been reallocated to the hospital where they serve outpatients and ensure out inpatients have bloodwork processed in a timely manner,” said Joanne Isber, corporate program director for Interior Health Pathology and Laboratory Medicine in a written statement.
“Interior Health has been actively recruiting lab workers over the past few years to stabilize lab services throughout the North Okanagan. Both medical laboratory assistants required for blood collection and medical laboratory technologist professionals are in high demand both provincially and nationally.”
Vernon has three remaining labs: an IH-operated lab at the city’s hospital and two privately-operated labs.
However, even before Interior Health revealed that the Sterling Centre lab closure would be permanent, there were concerns about the pressure the “temporary” Sterling Centre shutdown has been placing on the remaining labs.
Lineups at one of the city’s private labs sometimes leave patients waiting outside in inclement weather.
While reported wait times vary and can be as short as 20 minutes, one patient told Global New on Thursday he typically waits for up to an hour just to get inside the lab and another said she has waited for up to three hours.
The significant demand for services at the remaining labs is concerning for Vernon city councillor Teresa Durning.
“It’s problematic on all fronts. It is problematic to the seniors who are waiting outside, waiting to get into an over-stuffed lab facility as well as for the staff,” Durning said.
Durning started advocating on this issue last spring and says she is disappointed by the lack of progress.
“I think we all have to advocate. People need to let Interior Health know, let their MLA know how they are feeling,” said Durning, before the news of the permanent closure was announced.
“I think it is important that we continue to communicate regarding it until we see improvement and that hasn’t happened yet.”
Interior Health has never granted Global News an on-camera interview on the Sterling Centre lab closure and did not make a spokesperson available for this story.
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