A staff-only memo is warning of "unprecedented site congestion" at Surrey Memorial Hospital in British Columbia, even after a massive expansion of its Emergency department, according to an article on the Peace Arch News website.
The memo describes an "all hands on deck" situation as the hospital deals with with multiple infection outbreaks, including c. difficile, influenza and other respiratory conditions.
SMH was notorious for congestion for years, leading to the construction of both the Jim Patttison Outpatient Hospital and a new $512-million ER and critical care tower, the article said.
The new larger ER opened in October 2013 but didn't improve congestion as much as expected, in part because it's believed more patients who avoided the hospital in the past were now making it their first choice.
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