Surrey hospital patient sent to Chilliwack shelter
Fraser Health Authority on the hot seat for shipping elderly woman off in a taxi
Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove is demanding answers from the Fraser Health Authority after a 76-year-old woman with mobility issues and severe incontinence was discharged from Surrey Memorial Hospital and sent by taxi to the Chilliwack Salvation Army shelter early last month.
The woman, who is originally from Surrey, arrived at the women’s shelter with a “walker and some significant health concerns, including incontinence,” said the mayor.
Staff were not aware of the woman’s medical issues and were unprepared to care for her.
“She should be in a hospital,” Popove said Thursday.
“She needs medical attention that the staff at the shelter can’t provide.”
The mayor recently visited the woman at the shelter before firing off a letter to Fraser Health CEO Dr. Victoria Lee. The letter was raised during question period in Victoria on Thursday by Chilliwack Liberal MLA John Martin, who asked Health Minister Adrian Dix if it was an “acceptable practice” to discharge hospital patients to a homeless shelter almost 80 kilometres away.
Dix replied that he couldn’t speak about the specific case, but would be happy to meet with Popove about his concerns. He later told reporters he’d be looking into the situation and pointed to the province’s plan to increase longterm care beds.
Premier John Horgan told reporters the situation was “startling.” He said the government created the Ministry of Mental Health after finding “cracks in the system.”
In his letter to Lee, Popove said he is aware of two cases in which shelter staff were asked to take patients from the Surrey hospital without being told about the care they required.
A few weeks after the elderly woman arrived, the shelter received another call from Fraser Health about a man who was being discharged from Surrey Memorial and needed a bed.
“After further investigation, they learned that the patient was in a wheelchair, had open wounds on his feet and needed to be in a hospital bed,” said the mayor. “This information was not disclosed by the social worker, and shelter staff realized they would be unable to provide the level of care this individual requires.”
Popove asked the Fraser Health CEO to answer several questions, including if hospitals regularly discharge patients into homeless shelters.
“I would like to know why vulnerable people are being sent to Chilliwack homeless shelters from another community,” said Popove. “How is it possible that a 76-yearold woman with multiple significant health concerns could have been discharged from Surrey Memorial Hospital and sent via taxi to a homeless shelter in Chilliwack ... away from her home, friends and family?”
Fraser Health spokeswoman Tasleem Juma said Fraser Health received Popove’s letter Wednesday and is looking into his claims. She could not comment on specific cases, but explained that patients are sometimes discharged from hospital into a shelter when they are “deemed to be medically stable.”
Fraser Health ensures community supports are in place for the person, and shelter staff are informed and must agree to the situation, she said. Juma was unable to say if Fraser Health staff followed this procedure in the two cases mentioned by Popove.