If forecasts of a busy flu season are correct, Guelph General Hospital’s chief of staff says the emergency room may not be equipped to care for them.
“We are bulging at the seams in emerg. If we have a bad flu year and add more to the 200 patients we are seeing a day — if we add 80 more patients a day we will be in a very difficult situation,” said Dr. Jennifer Caspers, GGH’s chief of staff.
Caspers said a recent bad influenza outbreak south of the Equator may be a sign of what is to come locally.
“We are a little apprehensive about the upcoming flu season because Australia is in a very bad outbreak situation — it’s very severe this year. Often that is mirrored (here),” said Caspers.
The hospital will prepare for the upcoming flu season as best it can, she said.
“It’s better to be prepared and not face it than to not be prepared,” said Caspers.
The Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) is preparing earlier for the upcoming flu season, said Connie MacDonald, director of communications for the LHIN.
“I can tell you that each year our health system comes together to plan for flu season with a multi-pronged approach including prevention, promotion of available health resources and services, and increasing capacity to support the increase in patients needing care,” said MacDonald.
The LHIN is working with health providers on what MacDonald called a 7 days/week flow.
“This means using resources creatively to have services running, like diagnostic imaging, admissions to specialty services, etcetera every day to prevent any weekend bottlenecks,” she said.
Caspers said higher-than-usual Alternative Level of Care (ALC) numbers is one of the causes of congestion in the emergency room.
Patients who have completed their treatment in the hospital but who do not have a home or other accommodation to be released to are designated ALC.
“This year we have had very high ALC numbers, very high occupancy and long waits for beds in emergency. So we are very apprehensive if this flu season gets bad,” said Caspers.
If the upcoming flu season is indeed as challenging as is being forecast, Caspers said the hospital will request the LHIN or Health Unit to set up a temporary flu clinic to take pressure off the ER.
Each year in Canada, flu causes about 12,200 hospitalizations and 3,500 deaths.
Flu season in Canada runs from late fall to early spring and Health Canada says the percentage of lab results from Sept. 10 to 23 which tested positive for influenza is higher compared to other seasons.
Caspers suggested people do not skip their flu shot.
“A lot of people don’t bother because they think they don’t ever get the flu — this year might be different,” she said.
Once a person has received the flu shot, it typically takes up to two weeks to take effect.
Caspers said she received her shot on Wednesday, the same day she was interviewed for this story.
“They came in today, I got mine today. I wouldn’t risk not having a flu shot,” she said.
In addition, said Caspers, public awareness can go a long way to preventing the spread of the flu virus.
“I think we have to encourage people to take care of themselves, wash their hands well, and cover their mouths when they are coughing — all of those things your mother taught you.”
