Emergency rooms (ERs) in Steinbach and Ste. Anne are expected to continue with their regular hours of operation this summer. That is according to Dr. Timothy Gosselin, Associate Chief Medical Officer for Southern Health-Sante Sud.
The ER at Bethesda Regional Health Centre in Steinbach is open 24 hours a day, seven days per week. In Ste. Anne, their ER is open daily from 8 am to 4 pm.
Doctors Manitoba recently warned Manitobans to plan ahead in anticipation of rural ER closures this summer, due to a variety of reasons, including staffing shortages and more Manitobans expected to stay in their home province this summer.
According to Dr. Gosselin, there are definitely seasonal variations in ERs. He notes that during the winter months, there are more cases of people coming in with an illness, such as colds, flu, and pneumonia. They can also be busy with people breaking bones from falling on ice. Dr, Gosselin says in summer, ERs are busy with mishaps related to camping or building projects. There are also more injuries from people falling off bicycles or motorbikes. Summer also tends to bring out cases of asthma and bug bites.
Dr. Gosselin says summer is definitely a busy time in the ER.
"We tend to see less busy in spring and fall and more busy in summer and winter," he says.
And, though ER visits increase in summer, there tend to be fewer staff to handle those cases. Dr. Gosselin says that is because more of their staff book holidays during the summer months.
"We work together as teams to make sure that our staffing is appropriate for as best as we can for the emergency departments," says Dr. Gosselin.
But Dr. Gosselin encourages people to check the regional health authority's website, as some ERs, particularly in Ste. Anne could have gaps within that schedule.
"We do encourage everyone if they are going to be presenting to the smaller community sites like Ste. Anne, St. Pierre, or Altona, that they call ahead to see if they are open that day," he says. "Sometimes we can have short-notice closures that are not on the website just due to staffing or sick calls."
Dr. Gosselin also reminds the public that not everything that shows up at an ER is an emergency. He acknowledges that there is a gap in primary care in terms of services in the area. Dr. Gosselin says other options could include QDoc or a family doctor but realizes that appointment slots might not always be available.
"And so, if you have an ongoing concern and you need to be seen, our emergency departments are there," he says. "However, it can increase the wait times if you are going to be coming in for something that's not urgent."
Meanwhile, Dr. Gosselin reminds residents showing up at the ER to be kind to one another. He realizes that sometimes it can be a long wait and challenging, especially when people are looking for answers.
"Our hearts go out to everyone who comes in, whatever the problem or issue that they are facing," he says. "Our providers work hard to be compassionate and to address each person and their concerns."
Dr. Gosselin says having kindness goes both ways and helps everyone make a difficult situation better.