Here’s how long emergency room patients are waiting at local hospitals
The average Ontario emergency room patient waited a record-breaking two hours and six minutes to see a doctor in May of this year.
In Waterloo region, people waited even longer.
According to Health Quality Ontario, average wait times across the province increased from 1.9 hours in April to 2.1 hours in May.
Patients who were admitted to hospital spent an average of 20.1 hours in the ER before getting a bed in a ward.
Locally, emergency room patients at Cambridge Memorial Hospital waited an average of 2.9 hours to see a doctor in May. At Grand River Hospital, the average wait time was 2.7 hours, at St. Mary’s General it was 2 hours. That’s compared to 2.8 hours at Guelph General.
Several hospitals also publish real-time wait times on their websites:
WALK-IN CLINIC WAIT TIMES
According to Medimap, a Canadian tech company that posts walk-in clinic wait-times online, clinic wait times in Kitchener are roughly in line with the rest of the province, with most being around 20 minutes.
However, Medimap vice-president of operations Teddy Wickland says that’s “highly variable depending on when and where you’re searching” in the city.
Wickland said part of Medimap’s goal is to steer patients who could be better cared for in a walk-in clinic away from ERs.
“The type of patients who should go to the emergency room are having some type of very serious, generally acute issues, it could be kidney failure, it could be a gunshot wound,” Wickland said.
“Walk-in clinics are a great way for patients to still get on-demand care that’s more appropriate for things like the sniffles if you need a COVID test, something like that.”
Ultimately, however, Wickland says technology can’t solve the larger systemic issues behind long wait times, like healthcare staffing shortages.
“There is a family doctor shortage,” Wickland said. “The only thing that can solve for that – technology can help – but is frankly, is more people.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.