Ridge Meadows Hospital to divert maternity patients over Thanksgiving weekend

Ridge Meadows Hospital will divert maternity patients from 8 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 8, until 8 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, including over the Thanksgiving long weekend. Expectant patients who are in labour or have a pregnancy concern are advised to call the Maternity Unit first at 604-463-4111. Staff will direct them to another hospital for care. Anyone with an urgent health concern should call 911.

Fraser Health says the diversions are due to a shortage of obstetrician-gynaecologist (OB-GYN) physicians. The hospital is seeing increased demand for specialized OB-GYN care, which the health authority attributes to several factors: fewer local family physicians offering maternity care, a decline in midwives providing full antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum services, and increasing complexity in maternity cases. Diversions have occurred regularly, generally several times a month, for almost a year, beginning in December 2025. More information is available at Fraserhealth.ca.