Mission Memorial Hospital's emergency department will be shut overnight this weekend and next, as well as on several other dates, due to ongoing staffing shortages. This marks the latest in a series of ER closures at the hospital over the past two years, with the most recent occurring five days ago.
Upcoming Closure Schedule
The ER will close at 5 p.m. on Saturday and reopen at 8 a.m. on Sunday. It will also be closed overnight on Tuesday and Wednesday. Additional closures are scheduled for the following weekend on Saturday and Sunday nights, as well as overnight on June 30, and again on the nights of July 3 and July 4.
Staffing Challenges and Improvements
Fraser Health attributes the temporary disruptions to a shortage of physicians and nurses. However, the health authority expects the situation to improve later this summer. According to a news release on Friday, there are no unstaffed physician shifts in July for the ER.
To ensure patient safety, the interruptions will begin at 5 p.m. each night, allowing patients already in the emergency department to be seen by a physician before their shift ends at 11 p.m. Emergency-trained nurses will be available to support walk-in patients needing basic care and to assist with redirecting care to other facilities.
Patient Guidance
Anyone experiencing a life-threatening emergency, such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, or severe bleeding, should call 911 to be transported to another hospital during these closures. Fraser Health emphasizes that only the emergency department will be closed; all other services at Mission Memorial Hospital remain available.
