Emergency Department and EMS Pressures Continue

Windsor Regional Hospital and Erie Shores HealthCare, in conjunction with Essex-Windsor EMS, are reminding the public about capacity pressures across the acute care system in our region causing longer than normal waits, while underlining a need to seek alternative options for care where possible.

Hospitals and EMS are continuing to see higher patient volumes than normal, with significant bed capacity concerns due to higher than normal volumes of patients. The pressures have continued and we are again reminding the public to seek care where possible, for non-emergency needs, at community settings, such as their family doctor or local medical clinic, to help alleviate strain on the system. Information regarding potential non-emergency options are listed on Windsor Regional Hospital's - ED Alternatives page or the Erie Shores Healthcare ED Alternatives page.  If you are unsure whether you require emergency or urgent care, please visit the Essex-Windsor EMS “Make The Right Call” webpage.

Although emergency cases are always attended to rapidly and receive immediate medical treatment, patients should expect that wait times and treatment for any ailments other than emergencies will be much longer than usual, as they have been for the past several weeks. Ambulance response times for non-emergency situations may also be longer than usual.

We must work to preserve capacity in our healthcare system for patients. Our local partners will continue to collaborate to ensure our regional system is able to handle an influx of patients that will challenge our capacity to ensure timely access to care.