Article content continued

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 long-term care beds.

“The key issue here … is the health status of the patient on discharge,” he said.

Premier John Horgan told reporters the situation was “startling for me, and I think startling for all British Columbians.” 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.

Photo by Francis Georgian / PNG

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 whether 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-year-old 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?”