Whereas ineffective public notice for planned or unplanned emergency room closures creates immediate life-and-death situations for BC citizens, especially in rural communities where the next emergency room may be hours away; And whereas Health Authorities are responsible for providing public notice for service disruptions, and health services are the responsibility of the Province, which already has access to the Alert Ready notification program that the Province identifies the criteria for using the service as: 1 there is a threat to human life; 2 the threat is immediate; and 3 there are recommended actions that may save lives: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM urges the provincial government to expand the Alert Ready Program to include Health Services so that Health Authorities can effectively reach the public and advise of emergency room closures.
