Mission Memorial Hospital ER closes overnight because of staffing shortages

Mission Memorial Hospital’s emergency department closed at 5 p.m. Monday because of staffing challenges and is scheduled to reopen at 8 a.m. Tuesday, Fraser Health says.

The health authority said emergency-trained nurses will remain on site during the interruption to provide basic care to walk-in patients, help redirect care and arrange transfers for people with urgent needs. The early closure is intended to ensure patients already at the hospital can see a doctor before physicians end their shifts at 11 p.m.

Fraser Health says it is working with B.C. Emergency Health Services to direct or transfer patients needing a higher level of care to appropriate hospitals. Anyone requiring immediate medical care should call 911.

Other emergency departments in the Fraser Health region remain open, but non-urgent patients should expect long waits because of high volumes and staffing shortages. Fraser Health says it is recruiting more physicians after several emergency-department closures at Mission Memorial Hospital this year.