Delta city council is asking Fraser Health to send representatives to its March 3 meeting to provide more information about the current state of Delta Hospital's emergency department after two overnight closures this past weekend.
Council called an emergency special meeting on Monday, Feb. 24, in response to the two overnight "service disruptions" at the hospital, which saw the from 9:30 p.m. to 7 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday (Feb. 22 and 23).
Council unanimously passed three resolutions regarding the hospital ER closures.
Councillors agreed to invite representatives from Fraser Health responsible for the Delta Hospital emergency department, including staff with "direct knowledge of the current state of the emergency department," to attend the March 3 meeting of council to provide a presentation and answer questions from council.
They also agreed to send a letter from the mayor, on behalf of Delta city council, to Premier David Eby, Minister of Health Josie Osborne, and Fraser Health interim CEO Dr. Lynn Stevenson, expressing "serious concerns" about the emergency department closures and requesting information about what steps the province is taking to ensure the ER remains "fully open."
The council motion says that letter should include specific information about the importance of the Delta Hospital emergency department, including:
鈥� that it provides an essential service for residents of Delta, Tsawwassen First Nation, and those employed within Delta鈥檚 diverse industrial and commercial sectors, as well as BC Ferries passengers and commuters on Delta鈥檚 Highway 99, 91, 17, and 17a network.
鈥� that other facilities in Richmond, Surrey, and New Westminster are at capacity and access can be cut off by traffic and incidents on highways including at the George Massey Tunnel; and
鈥� that Delta residents have fought hard for the hospital, both in preventing the long-term closure of the ER overnight in the early 2000s, and to get the hospital's acute-care status restored after being downgraded by the Province.
The letter will be copied to Delta鈥檚 two MLAs (Ravi Kahlon, NDP MLA for Delta North, and Ian Paton, B.C. Conservative MLA for Delta South) and Delta MP Carla Qualtrough.
Council also agreed to have staff report back at the next regular council meeting with a proposed Union of British Columbia Municipalities resolution for council鈥檚 consideration on the need for sustainable funding and continuous operations for emergency and urgent care health services throughout the province.
