Pressure eases on Thunder Bay hospital acute-care beds

The pressure is easing on Thunder Bay Regional Hospital's acute-care beds, now that the Northwest Community Care Access Centre has moved some patients to long-term care facilities.

Last week, the hospital said it was gridlocked, with more than one-fifth of its beds occupied by patients who should have been transferred elsewhere.

That meant no beds were available for patients needingto be admitted to the hospital,leaving manywaiting in theEmergency Department.

This week, more peoplewere transferred to long-term care facilities in the community --opening upabout 20 beds in the hospital for patients needing acute care.

"We are trying to provide a little bit of a release valve for the hospital, said Tuija Puiras, chief executive officer with the Northwest Community Care Access Centre.

"It periodically helps things to move on and to improve the flow through the hospital."

'They want to go home'

Puiras said this is a crisis responseused a few times a year when the hospital requests help to free up acute-care beds.

But it's onlya temporary fix,she said.

Puirassaid the Community Care Access Centre is working with the hospital and with the Northwest Local Health Integration Network todevelop more permanent solutions.

"Ultimately what we're trying to look at is where can we increase more spaces for people to go and choices for people to go when they need to be discharged," said Susan Pilatzke, senior director with the Northwest Local Health Integration Networks Health System Transformation project.

Pilatzke added it's not just about finding more long-term care beds.

She said more supportive housing unitsopening inThunderBay next year will help.

Pilatzke also emphasized the importance ofbeefing up home care services.

"If we talk to anyone ... they want to go home,"she said.

"If we're [always] thinking about home [while] planning for that discharge ... [then] all the providers are working together to also say 'okay, let's make sure that person gets to the place that they need to get to."