Peace Arch Hospital ER scrambling for staff ahead of long weekend

There are concerns astir staffing levels successful nan emergency section astatine White Rock’s Peach Arch Hospital up of nan agelong weekend.

If shifts are not filled, nan hospital’s ER would beryllium forced to adjacent and patients would beryllium directed to Surrey Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Claudine Storness-Bliss, an OB-GYN astatine Surrey Memorial Hospital, and campaigner for BC United successful Surrey-Cloverdale, said this news shouldn’t astonishment officials.

“There are many, galore shifts passim nan summertime successful various emergency departments that were not being covered,” she said.

“In Fraser Health, we saw that past week astatine Mission Memorial erstwhile they unopen down overnight.”

Storness-Bliss said astir 165 patients connected mean are seen successful 24 hours successful nan emergency room astatine Peace Arch Hospital.

Surrey Memorial ER section sees betwixt 500 and 600 patients successful an mean of 24 hours.

A fewer days ago, nan infirmary had six basal emergency room expert shifts unfilled.

By offering salary bonuses and moreover pulling successful medically trained administrators, Fraser Health Authority is trying to support nan infirmary open.

“The anticipation is erstwhile you spell to an emergency room successful this province, successful nan Lower Mainland, it should beryllium unfastened and should beryllium staffed,” BC United MLA for Surrey-White Rock Trevor Halford told Global News.

Thousands of other group are expected successful White Rock complete nan agelong play to be Sea Fest.

“The worst portion is that Fraser Health and by hold nan the NDP and Adrian Dix knew this was coming and they knew acutely it was coming complete nan past mates of months,” Storness-Bliss said.

“But they really knew complete nan past mates of years that thing had to beryllium done pinch nan emergency department, and they didn’t act.”

She said each health-care professionals return connected nan load of diligent attraction and consciousness a consciousness of work and work to prevention lives.

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“As overmuch arsenic we want to help, we besides think, well, that’s not really our job. And successful an acute crisis, we will each jump successful help. But erstwhile it’s this acute crisis, time aft time aft day, past it’s really, it’s preventable and should person been managed up of time.”

B.C.’s Health Minister Adrian Dix told Global News that nan ministry identifies gaps successful staffing and past useful to capable those gaps.

“There is nary state successful Canada and location are respective provinces successful Canada, galore of which are dealing pinch this worse than we are correct now,” he said. “We person arsenic galore incentives successful place, arsenic overmuch recruitment successful place.”

Dix said this is simply a “massive effort” happening successful communities crossed nan B.C.

“We are successful this to make judge that group get nan attraction they need, whether that’s successful municipality areas, wherever location hasn’t usually been that galore problems… and others which are conscionable axenic staffing problems,” he added.