By Radha Agarwal, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter ​Patients in Northwest B.C. are experiencing a refreshing shift as emergency room (ER) doors remain open in local hospitals. Although by February 2025, Northern Health (NH) hospitals are still facing a 20.17 per cent vacancy gap in their baseline healthcare positions, the staffing situation has shown incremental improvement. The ERs in Prince Rupert, Masset, and Kitimat experienced a high rate of interruptions in the first half of 2024, but showed a significant drop in closures from August 2024 to Jan. 31, 2025. From August 2024 to Jan. 31, 2025, the ERs in Prince Rupert, Masset and Kitimat reported a notable reduction in closures compared to the previous six-month period.   In Masset (northern Haida Gwaii), the ER faced around 33 closures between Feb.

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