THUNDER BAY -- The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre has again implemented measures to create additional in-patient beds to deal with its chronic problem of overcrowding.
The hospital has a designed capacity of 375 patients, but as of Thursday morning had admitted 400.
Earlier this month, the hospital reported that between April 1 and Aug. 31, it had reached capacity 90% of the time, a sharp increase from 20 per cent during the same five-month period last year.
Hospital vice-president Mark Henderson says finding space for additional beds — as has been required in the past — is accomplished in a variety of ways, including putting a second bed into a one-bed unit.
"We do have six unusually large single rooms, just the way the hospital was originally designed. These are not your standard private rooms which are quite small. We have converted them into double rooms."
A section of the ambulatory care unit was used to create space for another eight beds.
Patient beds can also be set up in sunrooms and treatment rooms when necessary.
Henderson said the TBR Health Sciences Centre "will not turn a patient away from the emergency department. We will find a bed for them by hook or by crook. And if we have a life-or-limb emergency in the region, we will find a recovery area for them as well."
The hospital is not funded for the additional beds.
Henderson said HSC officials hope their colleagues at the North West Local Health Integration Network "will help us out in that regard."
On Wednesday, Health Minister Eric Hoskins said he has asked hospitals and local health officials across Ontario to come up with plans to alleviate bed shortages in their communities, and that he hopes to have those in the coming months.
The North West LHIN did not respond on Thursday to an inquiry from tbnewswatch about whether it plans to make a submission to the minister.
Seventy-eight in-patient beds at the Health Sciences Centre were occupied by alternate level of care patients as of Thursday. ALC patients are those awaiting transfer to other care facilities, but for whom no such accommodation is currently available.
