Sick kids waiting for beds, unattached patients, mentally ill in crisis: It's been a challenging time for York Region's newest hospital

9 things to know about Mackenzie Health now

yorkregion.com
Kim Zarzour
May 26, 2023

It may feel much longer, but it has just been two years since the Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital opened its doors---first as a COVID treatment facility then, in June 2021, as a full service hospital.

Much has happened since then, and on May 18, Mackenzie Health president and CEO Altaf Stationwala provided an update to York Region council.

Here are some key quotes:

• “We are in a good place, but it could be better and I won’t shy away from the fact that we have hundreds of vacancies still, predominantly in the nursing area.”
• “The other challenge is no different than what’s facing most GTA hospitals: our emergency department’s sheer volumes and the fact that we have very sick patients.”
• “Patients can wait up to two days, depending on the surge that we’re facing, to access a bed.
• “Volumes are still quite dramatic, wait times are still not ideal and hallway medicine continues.”
• “November to February 2023 was our biggest challenge, not just at MacKenzie but as a sector, with the triple threat of RSV, the flu and COVID, and a very dramatic impact on children.
• “Normally we’d run about nine pediatric beds but we were up to 20 at times and having to keep pediatric patients in emerg for days at a time because we didn’t have capacity.”
• “We are also facing a dramatic increase in ‘unattached patients’. About 20 per cent of our emergency visits are patients who don’t have access to primary care.
• “It’s not the ideal use of an emergency department but obviously, when there is no other access point, that is the role for emerg and that is a challenge.”
• “We are facing a later presentation of illness. This may be related to the delay in diagnosis as a result of COVID or diagnostic testing.
• “We’re seeing impacts in illness like cardiac, stroke and cancer-related---and sicker patients.”
• “Another challenge is a rise in mental health---15 patients every day arrive in either of our emergency departments in crisis.
• “This is a significant issue that requires acute intervention.
• “We have an active proposal to add another 20 beds at the Richmond Hill site for mental health and we’re close to approval, but ... we also need a strong network of community services because we tend to see a revolving door when supports are not there in the community.”
• “The COVID-19 assessment centre is no longer a service we offer, primarily because there’s sufficient testing in the community but ... we are continuing to mask in the hospital.
• “We still have immunocompromised patients in our environment and want to ensure that in any public space, we’re not spreading infection.”
• “Before opening Cortellucci, Mackenzie Health was the 23rd largest hospital corporation in the province by budget. We’re now number eight or nine, so we’ve grown dramatically.
• “We’ve hit more than a quarter of a million emerg visits between the two hospital and urgent care sites and the forecast for this year is 4500 deliveries in the birthing unit.
• “This massive growth has not compromised quality. We just won the 2023 Excellence in Patient Safety award from the Canadian College of Health Leaders.”