With the winter cold setting in across Quebec, people experiencing homelessness are taking refuge at night in hospital emergency rooms in Montreal to warm up.
Faced with a lack of places in emergency shelters and shelters, the homeless are looking for other options to stay warm.
This is particularly the case in the emergency rooms of the University of Montreal Hospital Center (CHUM).
In recent years, an increase in the number of homeless people who take refuge in emergency rooms at night has been observed.
With the occupancy rate remaining high in the region’s hospitals, doctors and organizations denounce this upward trend.
“Emergencies play a fundamental role in providing care accessible to all, whatever the circumstances,” underlines the president of the Association of Emergency Physicians of Quebec, Marie-Maud Couture.
“However, we recognize that their use for non-medical purposes by vulnerable people highlights a lack of social resources and support for these populations,” she continues.
The spokesperson for the Mission Old Brewery, Marie-Pier Therrien, confirms that they are communicating with the CHUM in order to possibly offer specialized services to this clientele.
“We are still in discussion, but as much as we are, we are open to offering specialized services to this population, in the same way as we want to offer them to people in camps,” she specifies.
For its part, the CHUM confirmed the presence of agents “at each of the entrance doors to the hospital as well as in the emergency room,” we can read in a statement sent to TVA Nouvelles.
“Social workers are also present in the emergency room to offer support and redirect people experiencing homelessness towards resources adapted to their needs,” it says.
“The priority [du CHUM] is to offer quality and safe care and services to patients, while maintaining a safe environment for staff.”
– With explanations from Anick Berger
