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Source: http://www.canada.com/edmontonjourn...=17291c87-a0c2-4c87-a8cf-2b2b28f29c76&k=69596
Tents to ease overcrowding at children's hospital
Jennifer Fong, edmontonjournal.com
Published: Monday, March 03
EDMONTON - A recent surge in winter bugs has led Capital Health to set up portable triage tents outside the Stollery Children's Hospital to ease overcrowding in the hospital's emergency ward.
The tents will be used to assess and treat children with minor illnesses.
"The Stollery emergency department has been busy all winter, but in the last two weeks, it has been busier than ever, apparently because of seasonal illnesses and bugs," said Capital Health spokesman Steve Buick. "There's simply more of them than ever before, so the waiting room is very crowded."
A portable isolation unit like this one, purchased for use during a flu pandemic, will be set up outside the Stollery Children's Hospital to ease overcrowding.View Larger Image View Larger Image
A portable isolation unit like this one, purchased for use during a flu pandemic, will be set up outside the Stollery Children's Hospital to ease overcrowding.
Because the Stollery shares a common waiting room with the University of Alberta Hospital, it made sense to open up the tents for families who would benefit from extra privacy.
"Children cry and suffer stress in a way they can't control, and it's disturbing for the adults waiting in the waiting room," said Buick. "It would be better for the kids to have their own space."
The tents are to be set up Tuesday and are expected to be accepting patients by Wednesday or Thursday. They will remain until flu season passes in a few weeks.
Capital Health introduced the self-contained, heated tents last February to be used in the event of a flu pandemic or outbreak of any other infectious disease.
As part of the pilot project to test the mobile clinic last year, adults with flu-like symptoms were invited to seek treatment in the tents, set up outside the Royal Alexandra Hospital. The tents stayed up for three weeks and were deemed a success.
This time around, the tents will help supplement the waiting room and also give staff another opportunity to practise working with the portable clinic.
"These tents are a big complex system, which we have to practise using in order to make sure we're able to use them effectively for their primary purpose, which is in the event of a flu pandemic," said Buick.
He emphasized that the tents are merely a temporary solution to the capacity problem. Plans are underway to expand the Stollery emergency department and build a separate entrance and waiting area.
"It's on the list of our current priorities, and we have every confidence that it will be funded and that it will be under construction, we hope, within the next year," said Buick.
He said that all hospitals have suffered from overcrowding this winter because of staff shortages and a growing number of patients.
"The tents don't really address the main problem in the system right now, which is the shortage of nurses," said Buick.
Capital Health plans to recruit up to 600 nurses internationally by the end of the year. Around 50 to 60 nurses are expected to arrive next month.
"We expect to be in much better shape next winter," Buick said.
jfong@thejournal.canwest.com
Tents to ease overcrowding at children's hospital
Jennifer Fong, edmontonjournal.com
Published: Monday, March 03
EDMONTON - A recent surge in winter bugs has led Capital Health to set up portable triage tents outside the Stollery Children's Hospital to ease overcrowding in the hospital's emergency ward.
The tents will be used to assess and treat children with minor illnesses.
"The Stollery emergency department has been busy all winter, but in the last two weeks, it has been busier than ever, apparently because of seasonal illnesses and bugs," said Capital Health spokesman Steve Buick. "There's simply more of them than ever before, so the waiting room is very crowded."
A portable isolation unit like this one, purchased for use during a flu pandemic, will be set up outside the Stollery Children's Hospital to ease overcrowding.View Larger Image View Larger Image
A portable isolation unit like this one, purchased for use during a flu pandemic, will be set up outside the Stollery Children's Hospital to ease overcrowding.
Because the Stollery shares a common waiting room with the University of Alberta Hospital, it made sense to open up the tents for families who would benefit from extra privacy.
"Children cry and suffer stress in a way they can't control, and it's disturbing for the adults waiting in the waiting room," said Buick. "It would be better for the kids to have their own space."
The tents are to be set up Tuesday and are expected to be accepting patients by Wednesday or Thursday. They will remain until flu season passes in a few weeks.
Capital Health introduced the self-contained, heated tents last February to be used in the event of a flu pandemic or outbreak of any other infectious disease.
As part of the pilot project to test the mobile clinic last year, adults with flu-like symptoms were invited to seek treatment in the tents, set up outside the Royal Alexandra Hospital. The tents stayed up for three weeks and were deemed a success.
This time around, the tents will help supplement the waiting room and also give staff another opportunity to practise working with the portable clinic.
"These tents are a big complex system, which we have to practise using in order to make sure we're able to use them effectively for their primary purpose, which is in the event of a flu pandemic," said Buick.
He emphasized that the tents are merely a temporary solution to the capacity problem. Plans are underway to expand the Stollery emergency department and build a separate entrance and waiting area.
"It's on the list of our current priorities, and we have every confidence that it will be funded and that it will be under construction, we hope, within the next year," said Buick.
He said that all hospitals have suffered from overcrowding this winter because of staff shortages and a growing number of patients.
"The tents don't really address the main problem in the system right now, which is the shortage of nurses," said Buick.
Capital Health plans to recruit up to 600 nurses internationally by the end of the year. Around 50 to 60 nurses are expected to arrive next month.
"We expect to be in much better shape next winter," Buick said.
jfong@thejournal.canwest.com
