In a year of ER closures, N.L. sees 5-year high in emergency department deaths

A first responder in Newfoundland and Labrador says he'snot surprised the province recorded a five-year high in the numberof people who died in emergency departments in 2022.

Whitbourne fire Chief Jamie Buddensays sick orinjured people in his area must travel much farther since the local emergency room closed "temporarily" on June 27and neveropened back up.

The distance ties up ambulances longer, said Budden, and thatcan mean vehicle crash victims sometimes wait more than 30 minutesfor an ambulance.

With the added waits and distances, he said, he often findshimself wondering whether the person he's helped load into the backof an ambulance will survive.

Numbers from the Health Department show 326 people died in theprovince's emergency departments in 2022, up from 262 in each of theprevious two years.

The 2022 figure is a 24 per cent jump from the year before, andhealth officials said that number "may" include those who werepronounced dead in emergency rooms but died before they arrived.

Dr. Kris Luscombe, president of the province's medicalassociation, says many people aren't getting regular screenings forhealth issues because they don't have a family doctor.

Luscombe, a psychiatrist, says the people showing up inemergency rooms for psychiatric care are the sickest he's seen in adecade.

Nova Scotia also saw a five-year high in emergency room deaths in2022, with a 10 per cent jump to 558 from 505 people.

Data from Prince Edward Island health officials shows theprovince saw a five-year high in 2018, with 49 deaths.

New Brunswick's Vitalite Health Network supplied numbers showinga peak in 2021, with 267 deaths. The province's Horizon HeathNetwork did not supply any figures.

The Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Health and CommunityServices said in a statement that it regularly reviews data acrossthe province's health-care system but "does not speculate" aboutit.

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