Cheryl Poitras of Mission, B.C., says her four-year-old daughter has a severe allergy. Even after recently seeing an allergist, the cause of the allergy is still unknown. 

Poitras says it’s terrifying to think how an emergency room closure could impact her child who had an anaphylactic reaction in 2024. 

“It just makes me sad for our whole community,” said Poitras. “You just never know what could happen at any moment.”

Overnight closures at Mission Memorial Hospital’s emergency department were supposed to end on April 6. The temporary change, which has the emergency department operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., has been extended to May 4 due to staffing challenges, according to Fraser Health, the local health authority.

CBC News spoke to several Mission residents who remain worried about access to care as the department now faces its longest stretch of reduced hours and overnight closures.

Fraser Health says nursing staff are still on site 24/7 to help triage and redirect patients. If patients require urgent care or stabilization, that can be done on site before transferring them to neighbouring hospitals in Abbotsford or Maple Ridge, which are an estimated 20- to 30-minute drive from Mission.

Mission’s emergency department is among several across the province that have faced temporary closures in recent years. Meanwhile, the B.C. government and Fraser Health stress that recruiting and retention remain a priority. 

“This is not just a local Fraser Health issue, it’s a systemic and major issue,” said Mission Mayor Paul Horn. 

“It’s really critical that we try to find a stable response to that issue because an emergency that is closing frequently is of very little value to people.” 

2 to 5 patients being redirected: Fraser Health

Emergency care after 5 p.m. remains a worry, especially for those living in more rural areas.

“It gives me a little bit of anxiety,” says Krista Krumpton, who lives in Deroche, B.C., located about 20 kilometres northeast of Mission as the crow flies. “All of a sudden, having to take a car wherever, to go to Abbotsford or to Chilliwack … that kind of puts a damper on things.”

Fraser Health says an average of two to five patients are being redirected to Maple Ridge or Abbotsford during an overnight closure.

“We’re not seeing a statistically significant increase in patient presentations to those sites, not really meaningfully impacting their flow at this point, in terms of admissions or patients waiting in the department, waiting to be seen,” said Dr. Paul Theron, Mission Memorial Hospital’s medical director.

He says the closures are an “absolute last strategy.” 

“It’s a pressure that I feel because we feel responsible to the community. We want our people to know that the hospital is there, that they can expect the same quality of care they can expect at any other site … and right now, when we’re not able to provide that, it is distressing,” said Theron as he stood outside the hospital. 

Overlapping challenges but solutions in the works

Theron said the closures are the result of overlapping pressures, including that the department is still recovering from serious damage after an unexpected flood in 2024.

He said some physicians have left the department to work in primary care or other departments in other hospitals, or different clinical programs within Mission’s hospital. 

Currently, Theron said the ER is two-and-a-half full-time physicians away from stable staffing, but he expects demand to increase with an ER expansion anticipated to be complete in March 2027.

“We would probably need four to five physicians per 24 hours working,” said Theron. 

In a statement, B.C.’s Ministry of Health says its initiatives include fast-tracking credential recognition, expanding the University of British Columbia’s medical school, and establishing a new medical school in Surrey.  

Between March 2025 and February 2026, more than 500 U.S. health professionals have accepted jobs in B.C., including 110 in Fraser Health, the ministry said.  

Mission’s mayor acknowledges residents’ concerns and says he remains optimistic about the efforts that are underway.

“People have some insecurity in their community about whether or not the hospital is a valued resource in the Fraser Health system. And I know from the communication I’m having with Fraser Health and with the ministry that these are temporary problems and not reflective of that value,” Horn said. “But I also understand why my neighbours are concerned.” 

The City of Mission is seeking feedback on a proposed health and wellness district around the hospital, which would would offer housing and services for health-care workers.