Mission —This past Friday night, the community experienced a temporary service reduction in emergency services at Mission Memorial Hospital due to physician staffing shortages. On Saturday, Aug. 18, Mayor Paul Horn released a statement regarding the situation on behalf of Council.
Ensuring our community’s emergency department is properly and consistently staffed with physicians is an urgent priority for Council and the City of Mission.
Once the temporary service reductions were announced by Fraser Health, Mayor Horn met with MLA Pam Alexis on Friday and connected with MLA Bob D’Eith via phone over the weekend and was assured by them both that physician staffing was a top priority for Mission Memorial Hospital and the rest of the province.
This morning, Aug. 19, Mayor Horn met with Adrian Dix, Minister of Health, over Zoom to learn more about what is being done to address the physician shortage. Minister Dix echoed what MLA Alexis and D’Eith shared. Mayor Horn learned about the new financial incentives that are in place to entice doctors to accept shifts in Mission Memorial Hospital and the work being done to schedule doctors from across the region.
Mission Memorial is also undergoing extensive renovations that should be completed soon. The renovations will make for an improved facility and a better experience for staff overall. Mayor Horn learned that Fraser Health will be planning future capital investments at Mission Memorial as well.
“We understand that our emergency department is needed in life’s most critical moments,” said Mayor Paul Horn. “Summer coverage in Mission Memorial has been particularly challenging this year. I’m optimistic that the ongoing capital improvements to the facility will build lasting connections with physicians in our hospital and our community. We will continue to collaborate with staff, Fraser Health, our MLAs, and the Ministry on this important issue.”
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