Fallout continues over allegations that homeless patients were discharged from Surrey Memorial Hospital and shuttled by taxi to Chilliwack shelters.

Premier John Horgan described the allegations from Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove sent to Fraser Health as 鈥渟tartling鈥� during his weekly media availability Thursday in the legislature in Victoria.

鈥淚f that is in fact the case, that鈥檚 startling for me and I think startling for all British Columbians,鈥� Horgan said.

鈥淲hy we brought in a minister of mental health and addictions is so that we didn鈥檛 have examples like this, where we find cracks in the system, and those who have potential mental health challenges are left to their own devices.鈥�

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Popove鈥檚 letter criticized how hospital officials decided to discharge two patients on separate occasions last month and send them to shelters when they still required some level of care. One person was incontinent and the other had open sores on their feet.

鈥淎 homeless shelter is no place for a person with health concerns or special medical needs,鈥� Popove said in his letter to Fraser Health CEO Dr. Victoria Lee, adding Chilliwack struggles with its own ability to house its homeless.

Chilliwack MLA John Martin also broached the topic during question period this week, asking Health Minister Adrian Dix to pledge this would never happen again.

He asked how it could be that 鈥渟ignificantly vulnerable鈥� patients like the ones described in the mayor鈥檚 letter could be dispatched to a shelter almost 80 kilometres away.

鈥淭he great people of Chilliwack do more than their share of heavy lifting on the homeless front,鈥� Martin said. 鈥淚n short, they punch above their weight.鈥�

Dix said he would follow up on the circumstances. 鈥淲e have very significantly increased our investment in health care in the last number of years but that doesn鈥檛 mean that in every case things are perfect.鈥�

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Fraser Health spokesman Dixon Tam confirmed CEO Dr. Lee had reached out to Popove that morning to review his concerns, which are being taken 鈥渧ery seriously鈥� and are 鈥渢roubling鈥� for everyone.

鈥淲hen a patient is medically stable and ready to leave the hospital, we make every effort to find them suitable housing if they don鈥檛 have a home to return to,鈥� Tam wrote in an email.

鈥淚t is very unusual to transition a patient into a different community unless they ask for this, or if it is the only community with housing that meets their needs at the time.鈥�

Hospital beds are reserved for patients with the highest health needs, Tam continued.

鈥淎 discharge transition from an emergency room to a shelter would only happen when the patient is deemed medically stable, community services (if needed) have been set up, and if it has been agreed to by the shelter staff.鈥�

Fraser Health is working with BC Housing and municipalites to develop more options, he said, while making sure not to use hospital beds as an alternative to proper housing.

鈥�With files from Tom Fletcher

jfeinberg@theprogress.com
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