Northern Health has announced the launch of a new webpage that keeps residents informed about the status of emergency departments.
The page provides the status of hospitals and health centres across northern BC.
Northern Health says the page is meant to ensure residents have access to the information they need when they need it most.
“When emergency departments are temporarily unavailable for any reason, the most important thing for someone facing a medical emergency is knowing where to go for care,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health.
Northern Health explored various models and chose one that provides the status of local ERs, rather than wait times between facilities that vary in size, scope of care and distance.
In early January, a Dawson Creek resident launched an independent website called “Is ER Open?”
The site was created by Romeo Macabuhay, and offers a similar service, showing ER status in the Northern Health region.
Northern Health said in a statement the webpage “was in development prior to the launch of a private website offering information about the status of emergency departments in northern BC.”
The health authority says it has been in contact with the website developer to thank them for the work they put into their website.
Northern Health says its webpage will be updated in a timely manner, 24-hours a day, 365 days a year, adding, “It takes time to develop, test and launch such a resource.”
Macabuhay says he now plans to change the direction of the site, making it a collaborative platform for sharing ER experiences.
According to the province, Northern Health’s Emergency Department Stabilization Task Force contributed to a decrease of about 35 per cent in service interruptions across the region during the first seven months of 2025, compared with the same period the previous year.
Northern Health’s emergency department status webpage is available here.