Port Moody patients not being refused at ER: health authority

The Fraser Health Authority says the emergency room at Eagle Ridge Hospital in Port Moody is open and accepting patients after social media posts suggested some were being turned away.

Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West tells 1130 NewsRadio he spoke with several patients over the last few days who were told by emergency staff at Eagle Ridge that there would be still significant waits and that they should consider going elsewhere for care.

With health care a major sticking point for British Columbians and a new face in the provincial health ministry, West says he doesn’t necessarily have high hopes for the system.

“I would no longer characterize myself as optimistic,” said West about the new administration. “The proof will be in the pudding; we’ll see what they’re able to do.”

West says past closures have granted the health-care system an unfortunate reputation.

“It’s a sad statement that people are feeling almost resigned to the fact that they’re going to encounter very significant delays in getting the care that they need.”

Low expectations caused by systemic failures, he says, do not fairly reflect the hard work of doctors, nurses, and other health-care employees.

On Monday, someone at Eagle Ridge Hospital posted printed notices claiming the ER was closing some beds entirely — the writer purporting to be a health care worker, themselves.

Fraser Health says at no time was the ER turning away patients.

A spokesperson declined to comment on whether staff may have told patients they’d be better off at another hospital.

1130 NewsRadio has reached out to Minister Josie Osborne for more information.