CHEO overwhelmed by busiest spring weekend in nearly half a century

“This has been a spring weekend like no other in CHEO’s 48-year history.”

That’s what CHEO reported in a Twitter thread on Sunday, June 12.

Since Friday, we have had more young people than normal for this time of year come to us with viruses, trauma, and injuries that are more severe than normal. Broken bones, head injuries, etc: ailments that require admissions to hospital. But we don’t have any free beds. +

— CHEO Ottawa (@CHEO) June 12, 2022

Our emergency department just had its busiest May ever and is on-pace to set a record for June. Yesterday, for the first time anyone can recall, we had *16* patients who were admitted that didn’t have a bed to go to. So, they stayed in ‘emerg.’ Some for almost 48 hours. +

— CHEO Ottawa (@CHEO) June 12, 2022

This gridlock effect means patients coming to the ER but didn’t need immediate care had to wait hours longer. 

It also meant the hospital had to cancel some planned procedures for the coming week and reschedule others to make space. 

“Obviously, we don’t do this lightly,” the hospital's twitter threat reads. “It pains us to do. But that is the reality. We simply have more people needing care right now than we have space, bed and people.”

Dr. Lindy Samson, the chief of staff at CHEO said on The Rob Snow Show on Monday, June 13 many of children coming to the hospital at this time include kids with broken bones, hand injuries and ailments that require admissions to hospital, leading to not enough beds for some. 

“Kids are out doing kid things, but with that comes with accidents, trauma and broken bones,” she said. 

Samson noted that there's been a mix of trauma, mental health concerns and kids coming in with respiratory infections. 

Samson added that typically infections we see in January are happening in June. 

“We have had a couple of years where we have been focused on COVID,” she said. “Now there's more mixing in the community, people aren't wearing masks and kids who haven't been exposed before are getting infections now.”

Samson said she doesn't like when people have to wait, but is asking families who come to CHEO to be prepared. 

“We are doing everything we can,” she said.

Before resorting to CHEO as an option, the hospital asks patients and their families to check with their family doctor or a nearby clinic first if it’s not an urgent matter.

But for those whose condition requires emergency care, CHEO says it will continue to be there for all of its patients.

Listen to the full interview with Dr. Lindy Samson below: