Grand River Hospital in Kitchener says a new record has been broken when it comes to the number of individuals treated in a single day in the emergency department.
In a series of tweets posted Wednesday, the hospital said it cared for 295 individuals in the emergency department on Tuesday.
“This is the highest volume we have ever seen and is the result of population growth, increased respiratory illnesses and weather related slips and falls,” the hospital said.
Tuesday morning saw icy conditions on roadways and sidewalks after a freezing drizzle swept through the region.
A Code Red was declared in the Region of Waterloo on Tuesday as paramedics dealt with high call volumes overnight that spilled into the morning, causing off-load delays at all three Region of Waterloo hospitals.
The hospital said all local emergency departments in the Wellington Waterloo Region saw an increase of patient volumes yesterday. The hopsital also recognized the wait times can be hard on those visiting the hospital.
The resulting conditions resulted in Waterloo regional police responding to dozens of crashes across the region. Six of those collisions resulted in some level of injury.
The hospital said it is working to manage these pressures, including a partnership with St. Mary’s General Hospital to plan for new hospital facilities in the region.
“Together, we are doing everything we can to ease these pressures and limit emergency wait times. You can help by seeking alternative care options when you’re in need of non-urgent or non-emergent care,” the hospital said.
