Fraser Health has announced a slew of new “temporary service interruptions” at Mission Memorial Hospital over the next two weeks. The hospital’s emergency department will close at 5 p.m. on Saturday and remain closed overnight, reopening at 8 a.m. Sunday, the health authority announced in a statement late Friday afternoon. The department will close for the same hours on June 23, 24, 27, 28 and 30, as well as on July 3 and 4, Fraser Health said. During the closures, emergency-trained nurses will remain on site and support patients needing basic care, according to the health authority. They’ll also assist with redirection of care and transferral of patients with urgent needs to neighbouring hospitals. Fraser Health said the closures begin at 5 p.m. so that all patients already in the emergency department can be seen by a physician before the doctor’s shift ends at 11 p.m. The emergency room is supposed to be open around the clock, and Fraser Health’s statement suggests those hours will resume after the two July closures. “We are pleased to say that there are currently no further vacant physician shifts in July at the Mission Memorial Hospital emergency department,” the health authority’s statement reads. All other departments at Mission Memorial Hospital are unaffected, and all other emergency departments in the Fraser Health region remain open, according to the health authority. “Fraser Health is working closely with B.C. Emergency Health Services to ensure patients requiring a higher level of care are directed or transferred to an appropriate hospital emergency service,” the statement reads. “Anyone with a life-threatening emergency, such as chest pain, difficulty breathing or severe bleeding, should call 9-1-1 immediately and will be transported to the nearest available and appropriate facility.” Fraser Health said it is “actively working to address physician staffing gaps as they arise” and making “every effort” to recruit more staff and prevent further service interruptions. “We recognize the impact of recent service interruptions at Mission Memorial Hospital’s emergency department and sincerely apologize for the disruption this may have caused,” a Fraser Health spokesperson said in an email to CTV News Friday evening. “While emergency departments across the province and country continue to experience staffing pressures, we are making steady progress … We are grateful to the Mission community and surrounding areas for their continued patience, understanding, and support as we work to strengthen and maintain reliable emergency care.”
