There's good news and bad news at Windsor Regional Hospital.
The good news is one of the busiest flu seasons in years appears to be over in Windsor-Essex, according to president and CEO David Musyj.
"We're pretty much done with the 'influenza'," says Musyj. "However, the volumes have not decreased."
That's the bad news.
Even though the emergency departments at the Metropolitan and Ouellette campuses are no longer seeing flu patients, the sudden changes in weather has their personnel busy dealing with different kinds of issues. Musyj says with people stuck inside over the winter months, fractures and bruising become commonplace.
"The other day when we finally hit 80-degree (Fahrenheit) temperatures, what it resulted in was ten fractured hips showing up at the emergency department," says Musyj. "What happens is people haven't been outside arguably for six months, or to any great extent for six months."
It is a situation that continues to test hospital resources. However, recent initiatives at WRH, including a new command centre that keeps track of patient flow, have made a difference in reducing wait times for patients who arrive at emergency, but are admitted and have to wait for a bed to open up.
According to the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit's flu report, dated April 24, lab-confirmed flu cases in Windsor-Essex are declining, while flu activity levels and emergency department visits have leveled off.
