More people seeking shelter at Brantford’s emergency room
CTV
Brantford General Hospital is seeing an increase in the the number of unhoused people seeking shelter in its ER.
Brantford General Hospital says the number of unhoused people seeking shelter in its emergency department has been rising over the last five years.
“They come with the initial intent of seeking medical care and then they have nowhere else to go,” said Dr. Somaiah Ahmed, chief and medical director of emergency medicine with the Brant Community Healthcare System (BCHS).
They also know the ER is a safe place to stay overnight.
“We have discharge principles, which means we don’t send them home if the weather is not above 5 degrees Celsius,” explained Ahmed. “People come here for a warm space.”
Staff see between four to seven unhoused people in the emergency room every day. That’s about 1,000 patients since April 2023, according to the BCHS, and up from around 600 in 2019.
“Add in the unpredictability of patients who may have mental health concerns or mental health stresses [and] it can lead to very tense situations in the waiting room,” added Ahmed.
The BCHS believes more needs to be done to help those in need.
