Simcoe County hospitals deal with dire staffing shortages
Health officials say painful hospital wait times spanning an average of three to five hours will only worsen with critical staffing shortages.
"This is certainly a crisis we're experiencing across the region," said Matthew Lawson, Georgian Bay General Hospital President and CEO. "Short-term, we're in for a rough summer."
Lawson said the Midland hospital has had to make adjustments, like closing beds due to significant staffing voids, and with patient demand not slowing, existing staff are feeling the pressure.
"We're absolutely at fatigue and burnout," he said. "We're upwards of 300 people a day, not to mention the over 100 patients that are admitted at any given time."
Lawson said the hospital resorted to bringing in temporary agency nursing staff. "That also is quite expensive, so it's not ideal. We would love to have our building fully staffed."
The situation is similar in Alliston, where Stevenson Memorial Hospital staff is dealing with a 30 to 40 per cent increase in patients this month, despite being desperately short on nurses.
The hospital's chief nursing executive encourages residents seeking medical attention to try the Cough, Cold and Flu Clinic or "go to your physician when you're able... to your nurse practitioners."
Many overburdened hospitals rely on the region's largest facility, Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH), to help carry the load.
"We're very aware that our workforce is very tired, burnt out, stressed. It's been difficult," noted Darrell Sewell, RVH Chief Human Resource Officer.
The Barrie hospital has recruited 157 new nurses in the past six months after 113 left.
Sewell praised those working at RVH, who he said have put in long hours and been shifted to various units to help cover where necessary.
"The way that they have stepped up, shown up, the flexibility, the resiliency to move into spaces and provide care in units," he noted. "They rise to the occasion."
- RELATED
- Barrie hospital records longest ER wait time across the region
- RVH president cites many factors for long hospital wait times
Orillia Soldiers' Memorial Hospital's President and CEO Carmine Stumpo said they need nurses and personal support workers as the city grows and visitors make the Sunshine City their summer destination.
"This is all making it busier at a time when our staffing isn't what we hope it would be," he said.
"We're looking forward to solutions, working with our community, with the government around getting more nurses, more physicians and more staff in general within the hospital sector," Lawson stated in Midland.
Despite the dire staffing shortages across the region, health care officials say those seeking urgent medical care shouldn't hesitate to visit a local hospital.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.