The CEO at Windsor Regional Hospital wants you to know two things, the emergency department there will not close, and the province won't likely privatize healthcare.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones raised eyebrows on Wednesday when she said all the options to address a severe hospital staffing shortage were on the table and didn't rule out privatization. However, David Musyj cautions against focusing on privatizing services.
"People will say, oh, that's what they're looking at, but there's a big step between here and that," he said.
Like other hospitals across Ontario, the strain at Windsor Regional is palpable. Unlike others, it's the only trauma centre in the region. Up to this point, Musyj said closing the emergency department hasn't even been considered.
Windsor Regional Hospital president and CEO David Musyj speaks with reporters on March 5, 2020. Photo by Mark Brown/Blackburn News.
He also said the hospital is looking at what can be done to lessen the load on the emergency department. It's in talks with the province about keeping clinics in the community open longer.
"You get past six o'clock, 7 p.m., we're the only game in town," explained Musyj. "A lot of the clinics are either closed, or they close their doors because their waiting room is full, so we're all that's left. That puts a lot of strain and pressure on the system."
Erie Shores Healthcare reported on Wednesday it was at 122 per cent capacity. At the beginning of the week, it had no positive or suspected cases of COVID-19, but as of Wednesday, it had five. Twelve people were waiting in the emergency department for a bed.
Erie Shores Healthcare in Leamington. (Photo courtesy of ESHC via Twitter).
"People requiring treatment in the emergency department should expect significantly increased wait times and seek treatment elsewhere if appropriate," read a statement from the hospital in Leamington.
Back at Windsor Regional, Musyj said wait times decreased most recently, but there are challenges elsewhere.
"We've been strained all summer," he said. "Way above 100 per cent capacity. We're operating in excess of 60 beds greater than what we were prior to COVID-19, and 18 to 20 of those beds are still unfunded."
The hospital is also in talks to get funding for those beds, especially as health officials anticipate an uptick in COVID-19 cases this fall, on top of a season known for respiratory illnesses.
Meanwhile, at Queen's Park, the Ontario NDP hope to introduce an emergency motion to address the shortage of healthcare workers. It will need unanimous support, but if it doesn't have it, the party intends to force a vote on the first Opposition Day, when those parties set the legislative agenda.
It says weekly overtime for Ontario nurses jumped 137 per cent between May 2019 and May 2020, and there are 5,400 fewer health and social services workers in the system than a year ago.
Emergency departments in communities across Ontario, including Clinton, Listowel, Seaforth, Wingham, Brampton and Ottawa, have all closed or reduced hours at emergency departments and urgent care centres.