Delta emergency room closed for 2 nights in a row, concerning mayor

Delta Hospital’s emergency room was closed overnight Sunday, with Fraser Health citing staffing challenges.

It was the second night in a row that the facility’s ER was shuttered.

“Emergency-trained nurses will be on-site and available to support walk-in patients needing basic first aid, assist with redirection of care, and transfer patients with urgent needs to a neighbouring hospital,” Fraser Health said Saturday.

Delta Mayor George Harvie said Saturday was the first time in his 20 years of public service in the city that the emergency room has had to close for something other than COVID-19.

He said the overnight closure is concerning but not surprising, given how difficult it is to find family doctors throughout the Lower Mainland. Staffing issues have presented many challenges across Metro Vancouver, forcing residents to go where they can get in, even if it means jumping city lines, he said.

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“Our population is … almost 120,000 people,” he said.

“Now this hospital is being extensively used by Delta people, Surrey people, and Richmond people.”

He said it also goes the other way, with Delta residents heading to other emergency departments around the region.

Harvie explained he intends to write to Health Minister Josie Osborne over the issue.

Once he is finished gathering all relevant information about the closure, he will be talking to city council members to get permission to write the letter.

“We need certainty, our community and hospital workers need certainty,” he said.

“That’s what we’re going to [ask about], that’s what I need to see, is how can we be assured that this is not going to be a trend?”

In a statement, Fraser Health tells 1130 NewsRadio it understands the frustration these closures bring and is working to ensure they don’t continue.

“We understand the importance of reliable emergency care, and we recognize the worry and inconvenience this may cause for our community,” it said.

“We are committed to addressing staffing challenges and filling vacant shifts to ensure emergency services remain available to our community.”

Sparks flew at the provincial Legislature question period Monday afternoon.

BC Conservatives Delta South MLA Ian Paton says his constituents facing emergencies were forced to drive half an hour to Surrey Memorial in a time when every second counts.

“Accidents happen, people get injured. And when they do, they expect the local emergency department to be open,” said Paton.

Osborne says Fraser Health and other health authorities are doing lots to hire and retain staff to avoid this kind of thing but acknowledges there’s more work to be done.