Châteauguay Hospital Overwhelmed: Ambulance Delays Surge
CHÂTEAUGUAY — May 16,2024 — Recent events have overwhelmed Anna-Laberge Hospital in Châteauguay,resulting in critical delays for ambulances.seven ambulances were reportedly held in the parking area due to a lack of space to admit patients. The surge in ambulance traffic, compounded by staff shortages and infrastructure renovations, have created a perfect storm, severely impacting patient care. These factors all contributed to the rising concern over ambulance wait times. For more, stay tuned.
Châteauguay Hospital Overwhelmed: A Perfect Storm of Factors
Anna-Laberge Hospital in Châteauguay is grappling with critically important traffic, leading to critical delays in ambulance services. Recently, seven ambulances were reportedly in detention in parking Wednesday for lack of space
to admit patients. The Integrated health and Social Services of Montérégie-Ouest (CISSSMO) attributes this crisis to a combination of several factors.
These include an unusually high volume of ambulance arrivals and the temporary unavailability of civilian staff due to ongoing facility upgrades.
Surge in Ambulance Traffic
Data from CISSSMO reveals a notable increase in ambulance arrivals. The hospital received an average of 37 ambulances daily on Tuesday and Wednesday, exceeding the typical average of 30. This 23% increase placed immense strain on the emergency department’s capacity.
civilian Staff Shortage
compounding the issue is the temporary reduction in civilian staff at the emergency room. According to CISSSMO, this is due to upgrade work.
The agency acknowledged that this withdrawal led to a waiting time for users arriving by ambulance.
Impact of Alternative Level of Care (ALC) Patients
The presence of patients requiring Alternative Level of Care (ALC) further exacerbates the hospital’s capacity challenges. These patients, who are medically stable but cannot be discharged due to a lack of appropriate care settings elsewhere, occupy valuable beds. Currently, 52 NSA users are hospitalized at Anna-Laberge Hospital, which corresponds to 22 % of the short-term beds used,
according to CISSSMO.
Broader Systemic Challenges
Beyond immediate factors, the hospital faces ongoing challenges related to staffing shortages and the long-awaited construction of a new hospital in Vaudreuil-Soulanges. These systemic issues contribute to the overall strain on resources and capacity.
Mitigation Efforts
In response to the crisis, CISSSMO has implemented several measures to alleviate pressure on Anna-Laberge Hospital. These include:
- Redirecting ambulances to Suroît Hospital.
- Adding six
overcapacity
civilian staff members to the floors. - granting 26 leaves for hospitalized users on medicine units and in the brief hospital unit.
- Working to redirect ambulatory patients when possible.
CISSSMO stated that the collaboration work is still intensifying today with the partners of the medical clinics in order to continue the reorientation for eligible users.
