The emergency department will close at 5 p.m. Monday to make sure all patients can be seen by end of the doctors’ shifts
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The chronic problem of doctor shortages has reared its head again in the Fraser Health region.
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Mission Memorial Hospital’s emergency department will close to new patients at 5 p.m. Monday and won’t reopen untiil 8 a.m. the following morning. Anyone there by 5 p.m. will be seen by a doctor before shift end at 11 p.m., said Fraser Health in a notice.
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Emergency trained nurses will be on hand to help walk-in patients needing basic care and will redirect those who need more urgent care to a nearby hospital. Fraser Health will co-ordinate with B.C. Emergency Health Services to make sure patients go to the appropriate hospital for emergent care.
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Residents of Mission and the surrounding area dealing with a life-threatening emergency like chest pain, trouble breathing or severe bleeding should call 911 and will be taken to the nearest available facility.
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Sunrise
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The problem of doctor shortages at Mission Memorial had largely been addressed in recent weeks after several temporary ER closures dating back to last year.
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“We recognize how important consistent access to emergency care is for the Mission community and we are actively working to address physician staffing gaps as they arise to maintain service continuity,” said Fraser Health in a statement. That includes working to recruit more staff to avoid such service gaps.
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The service interruption affects only the emergency department and all other Fraser Health ERs are open, and all other Mission hospital services are available.
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Visit fraserhealth.ca for information on what to do if you need urgent but non-life-threatening care during the closure.
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