The emergency department at Mission Memorial Hospital will not be open overnight on a number of upcoming weekends due to staff shortages, the health authority announced Thursday. Fraser Health said that the department will close at 5 p.m. on the following dates and remain closed until 8 a.m. the next day: “Emergency-trained nurses will continue to be on site and available to support walk-in patients needing basic care, assist with re-direction of care, and/or transfer patients with urgent needs to a neighbouring hospital,” Fraser Health said in a bulletin. While other emergency departments in the Fraser Health region remain open, people with non-urgent issues are being warned to expect long wait times due the combination of high patient volumes and staff shortages. Those who require immediate medical care are advised to call 911. The emergency department has been closed a number of times this year, but Fraser health said work is ongoing to recruit more physicians to the facility.
