Interior Health will be resuming maternity services for low-risk deliveries tomorrow (April 30) at the Cariboo Memorial Hospital in Williams Lake.
Low-risk deliveries include babies who have reached full term (37+ weeks) for expectant mothers with pregnancies that have had no or minimal complications.
Cariboo Memorial Hospital will also be able to perform planned and emergency C-sections as required.
“We have hired permanent staff to Cariboo Memorial. So the recent hiring of two new maternity nurses in April, one new maternity new nurse will also be hired at the beginning of June, and we also have had temporary maternity nurses from other areas of Interior Health and outside of Interior Health come into Williams Lake to support our local patients here,” said Executive Director for Interior Health West, David Matear.
“So those are the immediate changes that have allowed us to reestablish those services.”
Expectant mothers should consult with their physicians regarding whether they can plan for deliveries at CMH or whether they still need to relocate.
Expectant mothers and babies at higher risk of complications during their deliveries will continue to be directed to Kamloops or the community of their choice at this time.
Interior Health said the safety of expectant mothers and their babies will be the top priority in all decisions related to the most appropriate delivery site in each case.