The city’s hospital is in a state of gridlock.
The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre has been operating at an over-capacity level with alternate levels of care patients for the past three weeks.
“We’re really running at significant levels of over capacity and we’ve been in gridlock since Nov. 4,” said Dr. Rhonda Crocker Ellacott on Monday. “There are no signs it will let up anytime soon.”
Crocker Ellacott, the hospital’s executive vice-president of patient services, said that as of Monday the hospital had 62 such patients. There have been 10 interim over-capacity beds added to the other 11 extra over-capacity beds, in addition to the 26 beds that are normally operated.
She added that there is no pattern or explanations for the recent increase in patient volumes.
Patients who are awaiting transportation to other community programs are classified as alternate levels of care patients. Those individuals may be awaiting long-term care, chronic care or other rehabilitation services.
While the backlog is occurring at the hospital, Crocker Ellacott said the entire health-care system has to work together to facilitate solutions.
She said the hospital is working with community partners such as St. Joseph’s Care Group and the LHIN to alleviate the backup.
“We’re trying to come up with a systems response to what’s going on with alternate levels of care pressures within our entire system,” Crocker Ellacott said. “This is not something that’s just a health sciences centre issue, but something that is going on throughout our entire community.”
The hospital had to cancel three elective surgeries last week due to the over-capacity issues. Crocker Ellacott said things appeared to be running as normal on Monday, and staff is treating the situation with a day-to-day approach.
