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Gridlock trend worsens at Thunder Bay Health Sciences Centre

Unusually busy summer brought record occupancy
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Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (TBRHSC) finished 36th out of 40 on a national list of top research hospitals.

THUNDER BAY -- It must feel like a case of one step forward and two steps back for Thunder Bay hospital officials who are anxious to alleviate gridlock.

Gridlock, or "surge Capacity" in hospital jargon, occurs when there are more patients to be admitted than the hospital's designed maximum.

From April l to Aug. 31, the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre (HSC) was in gridlock 90 per centof the time, a sharp increase from 20 per cent during the same period last year.

The upsurge followed signs of improvement earlier in the year, when data was pointing to a gradual reduction in gridlock over the preceding three years.

HSC vice-president Mark Henderson says the recent reversal is concurrent with an unusually busy summer.

"This year we really had record occupancy going back over the nine years that I have been there....6% busier this year in the first five months of our fiscal year (April through August) compared with last year. That's quite an increase that we had not ancticipated."

In an interview on Friday, Henderson said the hospital is examining the reasons for the increase.

More patients coming through the doors only adds to existing challenges in finding beds to admit them to.

The regional hospital currently has 71 alternate level of care patients, people who no longer need acute care and are waiting for placements in other facilities. It's supposed to house a maximum of 20 ALC patients at any one time.

Henderson said if 51 ALC people were moved to more appropriate care, the hospital "would be sitting pretty."

There is a widespread view in Thunder Bay that the Health Sciences Centre was built too small to accommodate its service area, but Henderson said hospital officials believe it is the right size if ALC patients can be cared for elsewhere.

Ongoing deficiencies in the health care system stand in the way, however.

Henderson pointed to a lack of supportive housing to accommodate some hospital patients, and a shortage of long-term care beds to accommodate others.

Hogarth Riverview Manor beds unoccupied for lack of staff

64 new beds are waiting to be opened at Hogarth Riverview Manor. About 20 ALC patients in the TBRHSC are designated to transfer to that kind of facility.

St. Joseph's Care Group (SJCG), which operates Hogarth Riverview, also has patients waiting to be discharged from its own hospital to long-term care or elsewhere. 80 of the 224 beds at St. Joseph's Hospital are currently occupied by patients designated ALC.

For both institutions, there is frustration in knowing that 64 beds ready for patients remain empty because SJCG can't find enough staff.

"We have a lack of human resources, specifically Personal Support Workers," said SJCG president Tracy Buckler. She said St. Joe's also needs more nurses, but "PSWs are the backbone of long-term care."

Buckler noted there is a shortage of PSWs across Canada. Confederation College, she said, has 54 students in its PSW program, and she hopes many of them opt to work at Hogarth Riverview Manor when they graduate.

A the HSC, managers continue to implement new practices to reduce the average length of stay for their patients by one day, incrementally over five years. That will significantly alleviate the pressure on hospital capacity over the longer term.

Flu season, however, is imminent, and Henderson said he's just as concerned about the coming winter as the Ontario Hospital Association.

The OHA issued a statement this week warning that many of the province's largest hospitals were over capacity this summer, and stressing that the system is headed for a crisis unless the government makes additional investments.



Gary Rinne

About the Author: Gary Rinne

Born and raised in Thunder Bay, Gary started part-time at Tbnewswatch in 2016 after retiring from the CBC
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