UHNBC Jammed
Thursday, November 15, 2012 @ 9:43 AM
Prince George, B.C. – A code “Gridlock” has been called at the University Hospital of Northern B.C. after an unusually high number of people have come to the facility.
Eryn Collins spokesperson for UHNBC says extra staff have been brought in to try and cope with the situation. “We have people in the hallways at the hospital and we are trying to discharge those that we can.” Collins says this is not ideal, “but we are trying to the best that we can.”
One of the problems she adds has been an influx of people with an intestinal virus, and a serious cold virus which has been circulating in this area causing more problems .
Collins says the hospital has seen this scenario before “It seems that we have this same problem every year as we head into winter.”
Comments
The very young,elderly and those with underlying conditions should be seeking help if this illness has reached the point they can’t care for themselves or symptoms are severe. Call 811, nurses help line to have some direction given as to whether you should go to hospital.
The rest of the populace need to stay home,drink plenty of fluids (gatorade, water,juice) take cold/flu pills,immodium and rest.
Your family doc or the walk-in clinic will tell you the same thing.They won’t give you antibiotics, its a virus.The thought of sharing one central washroom with all the other sick people makes me cringe, given some people’s idea of hygiene.
Wash your hands! wash your hands! wash your hands!
And stay the hell home for a few days. This idea of going to work because you’re dedicated to your employer is ridiculous. Your just making everyone else sick.
It’s more of the typical mismanagement at the hospital, minor treatment is closed, and the walk in clinic has stupid hours and a lot of folks don’t have a family GP .So the hospital is stacked up. What would the hospital do if they actually had a serious community event occur where they were flooded with people?
The triage protocol at the hospital is lousy at best, with a wait time ranging from 2 hours to 6 hours. This is defined by the triage nurse sitting at the front counter. Teaching hospital? Seriously? Who’s learning anything there…… back them up, stack them up and we’ll get to them some time.
Someone needs to raise a stink about this to authorities that can actually do something about the mismanagement. The concept of true “triage” is worst first, but that comes at a cost and only applies to real emergency situation management not day to day operations.
Minor treatment should be used for dealing with the minor cases, to clear them out as quickly and effectively as possible not letting them stack up in the emergency waiting room to spread pathogens around to everyone else waiting there. Clearly who ever is coordinating the “teaching” isn’t making effective use of the student man power available.
Northern Health isn’t very effective in there management of public health issues either, they dam well know these seasonal issue creep up but have done little to address the social economic demographic that is seen at this time of the year. Education is key in public awareness, advise the public what precautions to take before the “bug season”. This way more people will take the appropriate personal precautions to avoid “catching the bugs”.
It’s just the “bug season” thank goodness the hospital doesn’t need to address a real “community emergency” because clearly they wouldn’t be able to cope with the load. So the answer to the big question needs to come from all those big dollar folks sitting on the hospital board who know little about running a hospital and know more about there golf games. You wanna sit in the big chair you better be able to take the heat.
the fact that there is only one walk in clinic in town is ludicrous. there should be one staffed all day everyday.
Welcome to medical care in PG.
Catarac appointment in PG 8 months wait and surgery 6 months later.
Appointment in Vcr 2 months wait and surgery 4 months later.
Private clinic in Kelowna 1 month wait and surgery 2 days later.
Medicare is just great.
ok folks it’s pretty simple….it’s cold and flu season…… stay home and quit abusing the system. One day or night in Emerg and you’ll see the rampant abuse of this hospital by the citizens and street urchens…. truth hurts!
And there is not enough parking, whether free or pay.
cheese
Time for a user fee, is it not?
Wondering how many of those in attendance had their flu shots?
Worst first is a great concept. Until someone from the Jail gets brought in and they move to the front of the line.
Yes Servant, I wonder?
This recurring problem could be easily fixed.
1. A small user fee
2. proper allocation of resources (spend money for medical staff and necessary equipment instead of office furniture, etc.
3. Put the hospitals of the province on a performance-pay system. That is, simply let them do the surgeries, procedures needed, and bill the province at the end of each week for work performed, rather than getting a budget at the beginning and trying to not spend it all.
Having had to deal with the medical system in this province on behalf of others very frequently over the past 3 or 4 years, I can say that it is simply ludicrous.
Isn’t there a Tim Horton’s nearby? They handled the overflow in Vancouver.
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