Emergency room closures hit B.C.s Lower Mainland [Video]

The emergency room at Delta’s hospital is now open after a two-night partial closure over the weekend.

Smaller rural communities across B.C. have been dealing with emergency room closures for months, if not years, but it is not as common in the Lower Mainland.

Fraser Health first sent out a notice on Saturday evening stating “that due to physician staffing challenges at Delta Hospital, Fraser Health is implementing a temporary service interruption beginning at 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 22 to Sunday, February 23 at 7:00 a.m.”

A second service interruption notice was sent out on Sunday evening and lasted until 6:30 a.m. on Monday.

Emergency-trained nurses remained on site to provide basic first aid and assist with directing patients to other hospitals.

Staffing challenges previously led to closures at Mission’s hospital earlier this month.

The union representing B.C.’s paramedics told Global News they are not getting any advance notice from BC Emergency Health Services, adding that if they had known, they …