The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) is warning about long wait times at its Emergency Departments and is asking people with non-emergency needs to use other healthcare settings, if possible.
CKHA said increasing pressure across the acute care system and significant and continuing bed capacity concerns have forced hospital officials to ask members of the public with less severe ailments to visit their family physician or a local walk-in medical clinic to help alleviate the strain on the hospitals.
Hospital officials said bed capacity appears to be impacted because of a surge in demand for care and sicker patients because of delays in their care during the pandemic. They also said the last wave of COVID-19 impacted staffing across the local care system and getting patients out of the hospital to their next step of care in the community has been affected by staffing shortages both inside the hospital and outside of it.
CKHA said the wait time for patients admitted to the hospital and waiting for a bed has increased by 66 per cent, particularly in April and May, which have been busy, according to CKHA. Officials said the amount of non-urgent patients receiving care in the Emergency Department has remained fairly steady, while patients with higher medical needs have been increasing month over month. CKHA expects patients will continue to need more nursing care for the foreseeable future as a result of the lack of access to healthcare during the pandemic.
"Although emergency cases are always attended to immediately to receive rapid medical treatment, patients attending the Emergency Department at CKHA for non-emergency ailments should expect longer wait times than usual," said hospital officials in a statement. "Ambulance response times for non-emergency situations may also be longer than usual."
For a list of local walk-in clinics and COVID-19 resources click here.
An extensive directory of health services in the region is also available by clicking here.
Health Connect Ontario, which replaced the former Telehealth Ontario, offers health advice 24 hours a day all week by dialing 8-1-1 or by clicking here.
The COVID-19 Assessment Centre at 10 Grand Avenue in Chatham provides care for anyone with mild to moderate COVID-19 and cold and flu-like symptoms who needs a clinical assessment. Clinical staff at the Assessment Centre will conduct an assessment, may offer a COVID-19 test, and may offer treatments. COVID-19 Assessment Centre appointments can be booked by clicking here or by calling 519-436-2556.
"CKHA and its partners continue to collaborate to ensure the regional system is able to handle the influx of patients and ensure timely access to care," said hospital officials.
They also urge and remind people to call 9-1-1 or visit the nearest Emergency Department if they are experiencing a medical emergency.