By Dave Branco

Health-care recruiter needed

Calls grow for dedicated health-care recruiter to keep Fort St. James hospital running

Nov 21, 2025 | 2:24 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – A new hospital in Fort St. James officially opened in January of this year to improve access to care, but it is currently facing some setbacks. Local officials are developing a plan to ensure their hospital remains operational and avoid being put on life support.

The emergency room has had to shut down more than 50 times this year, mainly due to a shortage of doctors, a shortage that stakeholders say has directly affected community health. Now, local leaders and First Nations are working urgently to find a solution.

Within the Bulkley Nechako Regional District, there are three hospitals. The newest facility in Fort St. James opened with a larger emergency department. However, ongoing recruitment challenges at Northern Health have still led to repeated ER closures.

“ It’s not a quick fix because Northern Health has told us that it is a minimum of six months. And when the doctor signs on to when they’re in the community. “

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Martin Elphee

Mayor, District of Fort St. James.

The hospital not only serves Fort St. James but also several Indigenous communities. The hospital board chair, Judy Greenaway, suggests that the province should reconsider how doctors are compensated in rural areas to attract more medical staff.

“ Only a couple of years ago, if you worked in the North, the doctors got a higher amount of pay. There was an incentive to come up north, but now that has closed. So there’s no incentive for the doctors to come up north or stay down south because they get the same amount of pay. So we’ve asked for those kinds of things to maybe come back again.”

Judy Greenaway

Chair of the Stuart-Nechako Regional Hospital District

Northern Health says it is facing staffing shortages at Fort St. James’ emergency department, but is treating the community as a high priority while exploring virtual supports.

The following statement from Northern Health:

“ Although we are making gains in much of the North, we acknowledge that we are continuing to experience staffing challenges leading to service interruptions in the emergency department at Nats’oojeh Hospital in Fort St. James. We are exploring additional supports for emergency department operations in Fort St James, including virtual supports and recruitment of nurse practitioners and other providers. We continue to recruit for both locum staff and permanent positions to the community. Our recruitment teams are focused on Ft. St. James as high priority and as always, are willing to collaborate with local officials on targeted efforts to attract health professionals to the area.”

The hospital board of Bulkley Nechako is seeking a dedicated health-care recruiter for Fort St. James, using a model similar to the successful one used in Burns Lake last year, to help resolve staffing issues.

Residents are currently waiting for a long-term fix and are calling on local officials and health authorities to ensure their new hospital can stay open when they need it most.

Email: Dave.Branco@pattisonmedia.com

TikTok: @DaveBrancoVJ