Home / Health / Residents Rally to Save Mission Memorial Hospital's Emergency Department
Residents Rally to Save Mission Memorial Hospital's Emergency Department
16 Nov
Summary
- Mission Memorial Hospital faces repeated overnight ER closures due to doctor shortages
- Local residents, healthcare workers, and leaders protest the closures
- Hospital plans $18 million renovation to expand ER, but staffing remains a major concern
As of November 16th, 2025, Mission Memorial Hospital in British Columbia has been grappling with a persistent staffing crisis that has led to repeated overnight closures of its emergency department. In the past year, the ER has closed to new patients between 5 PM and 8 AM on six occasions due to a lack of available doctors.
This situation has alarmed the local community, with dozens of residents, healthcare workers, and leaders rallying outside the hospital on a recent Saturday to demand immediate action from the Fraser Health Authority. Carrying signs that read "Mission Matters" and "Health Care Matters," the demonstrators called for increased staffing support, the restoration of full-time ER service, and greater transparency around the closures.
Mission's medical director, Dr. Paul Theron, attributes the problem to a combination of factors, including the hospital's emergency department still recovering from serious damage caused by a flood in January 2024. This led to an exodus of some permanent physician staff who felt the temporary ER space was not safe. While an $18 million renovation project is underway to expand the ER from 27 to 41 care spaces, Theron says staffing remains a major concern as the community's population grows quickly.
The city's mayor, Paul Horn, notes that the issue extends beyond Mission, with small and mid-size hospitals across British Columbia facing similar challenges in attracting and retaining doctors. To address this, the City of Mission is advancing a proposed health and wellness district around the hospital, which would serve as a hub for housing, services, and accommodations for healthcare workers and medical trainees.
Despite the ongoing efforts, Mission residents remain concerned about the reliability of their emergency care. As one local, Leanne Smythe, expressed, "It's really easy to ignore small towns like Mission," underscoring the need for the provincial government to take decisive action to support rural and community healthcare.
