LETTER: Vernon hospital emergency staff calm in a storm
Published 8:00 am Monday, February 2, 2026
Recently, I found myself visiting the VJH emergency department.
The trip began with a short ride in a $250,000 ambulance, made lighter by the driver’s good-natured humour.
At the ER, I was diagnosed with bacteremia – unwelcome critters in the bloodstream – which required six daily doses of intravenous antibiotics.
Subsequent visits to VJH were made in my minimalist VW.
On Day 6, when I returned for what I hoped would be a routine IV treatment, the emergency department was overflowing.
Every seat outside was taken, and inside it seemed every wall was lined with a gurney.
A staff member remarked that the hospital was operating at 130 per cent capacity.
I wasn’t feeling better, and the atmosphere felt chaotic.
All I wanted was to leave.
My coughing, as well, did not blend well with the rest of the choir.
Then a staff member stood in front of me – there was no room to sit – and told me he had noticed something and wanted to admit me.
My inner voice protested loudly, but then he added, “If you were my dad, I would want you to stay and have these tests.”
Slowly and reluctantly, I agreed.
The tests revealed pulmonary embolisms – blood clots in my lungs – with potentially serious consequences.
Today, I am home, comfortable, and administering daily clot-dissolving injections that I will continue for the next six months.
Life is good.
My point is this: Although our medical system is clearly under strain, we are fortunate in Vernon to have health-care professionals who work under immense pressure with calm deliberation, expertise and genuine humanity.
I hope not to need the VJH emergency department again, but I am deeply grateful to know it is there – for me, and for all of us.
Ted M.