At noon, the occupancy rate of the emergency room at Hull Hospital reached 220%, making it the place with the worst congestion in Quebec. Only a few other hospitals – especially in Montreal – reach the critical threshold of 200%.
In total, 55 patients occupied stretchers in the emergency room of the establishment located on Lionel-Émond Boulevard, while the capacity is 25. Nearly half of the people (25) have been there for more than 24 hours and of the number, eight have been there for more than 48 hours. There were 28 people waiting to see a doctor.
The average length of stay of people in this waiting room on Thursday was slightly more than nine hours, while that of people waiting on a stretcher was close to 34 hours, one of the least rosy portraits in the province.
The second busiest emergency room in the Outaouais and therefore in the province is that of the Papineau Hospital, in the Buckingham sector, where the occupancy rate reached 208% on Friday noon. While the capacity there is 12 stretchers, 25 were occupied.
In total, 25 people were on a stretcher in the emergency room of Hull Hospital for more than 24 hours, Friday noon. (Simon Séguin-Bertrand/Le Droit)
The Gatineau Hospital is no less in the red as 54 stretchers are occupied there, the occupancy rate therefore reaching 193%. On site, 13 people have been waiting on a stretcher for more than 48 hours, according to data from the Ministry of Health.
Maniwaki Hospital (150%) is the only other establishment in the region where the occupancy rate exceeds capacity at the end of the holiday season.
“The traffic in emergency rooms after the holiday season is a trend that we have noticed for several years. There are no particular situations that explain this high traffic and the reasons for consultations vary from one patient to another, indicates the Outaouais Integrated Health and Social Services Center (CISSSO). Currently, our teams of emergency professionals are joining forces to provide quality, safe care to the population.”
The authorities remind that the public is encouraged to find alternatives to a visit to the emergency room such as an appointment with their family doctor, dial 811 to contact Info-Santé and Info-Sociale, a consultation with a pharmacist and the emergency counter. first line access (811 option 3).
“In addition, self-care guides are available on our website to treat the flu, gastrointestinal illness and mental health,” we emphasize.
On the other side of the river, the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) indicated Friday at 1 p.m. that 37 young patients were waiting to see a doctor and that the longest waiting time The expected length of time for low-urency patients arriving at this time was estimated at nine hours.
Estimated emergency room wait times or occupancy rates at other Ottawa hospitals were not posted or available.
