Expanded Langley emergency department officially opens

LANGLEY, B.C.—Langley residents can now utilize a new emergency department (ED) at the Langley Hospital.

The department expansion work has completed and is ready to be used.

“The official opening of the expanded emergency department is great news for people living in this growing and thriving region,” said Adrian Dix, minister of health, in a statement. “The ED will be able to keep up with the increasing demand for emergency services, and health-care workers will have a modern environment with more space to provide quality care to patients and help save lives.”

The expanded emergency department increases the number of patient treatment bays from 31 to 49 and the number of trauma bays from one to two. There is also a separate pediatric waiting area for children and a new entrance that separates walk-in patients from those who arrive by ambulance.

A new dedicated, separate treatment area is also open for patients with mental health and substance use needs. To minimize the risk of infection, additional handwashing stations, utility rooms, a decontamination area and an isolation room were added.

“This much-needed expansion will help meet the needs of our community’s fast-growing population,” said Megan Dykeman, MLA for Langley East. “Our government took action quickly to get work started on the emergency department, and I am thrilled that it is now open to patients.”

The old emergency department was constructed in the mid 1980s. Since then, use of the department has grown from 25,000 patients each year to 44,000.

“Our community was in need of an expanded emergency department for a number of years,” said Andrew Mercier, MLA for Langley. “Because of the hard work and determination of everyone involved, the new ED is open and ready to help save lives.”

The provincial government, through Fraser Health, provided $29.32 million towards the project. The Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation contributed $10 million, which includes a $1.5 million contribution from the Langley Memorial Hospital Auxiliary.