Temiskaming Hospital enters surge capacity mode
CBC
Citing significant occupancy challenges, the Temiskaming Hospital is operating in a surge capacity mode.
Mike Baker, president and CEO of the Temiskaming Hospital, said the problem is due to an influx of patients who are destined for other parts of the health system, like long term care facilities.
Half of the 59 provincially-funded beds at Temiskaming are currently taken up by alternative level of care (ALC) patients, Baker said. That then causes a ripple effect of bed shortages — with the emergency department being the hardest hit.
"We are having more and more times where patients are having to stay overnight in the emergency room," Baker said. "And of course, those beds are not made for overnight stays or made for examinations."
"In some cases, we've had to cancel surgeries and have patients stay in our operation room recovery area. So that creates a lot of problems, not just for the patients, but for staff where they're managing patients in all sorts of different areas of the hospital, rather than regular rooms and rooms that are close to nursing stations and that kind of thing."
Friday's occupancy rate is 109 per cent, Baker said, which means some patients are given unconventional bed spaces in the interim. The chapel, for example, was taken apart, moved to another part of the facility, and its former space repurposed into a semi-private room.
"Recently, the government has been recognizing our situation and provided funding for operating [extra] beds," he said. "And just about two weeks ago, they added more funding to get another three beds. So that will certainly help us out right now, for sure."