HSC seeing increase in deaths at emergency department
The Health Sciences Centre (HSC) has seen a steady increase in deaths at its emergency department over the last few years.
On Thursday, Shared Health provided data to CTV News Winnipeg showing the number of emergency department visits and deaths from 2019 up to March 2, 2023.
According to this data, from 2019 to 2022 the number of deaths increased by 56, while overall emergency department visits fell by more than 17,000.
Shared Health is also reporting that over this four-year span, HSC saw an increase in high-acuity emergency visits. In 2019, there were 11,740 high-acuity visits, with this number steadily rising to 14,816 in 2022.
The following are the numbers provided by Shared Health regarding emergency department visits versus deaths:
- In 2019 there were 70,237 visits and 114 deaths;
- In 2020 there were 58,829 visits and 147 deaths;
- In 2021 there were 54, 2017 visits and 163 death; and
- In 2022 there were 54,777 visits and 170 deaths.
As of March 2, 2023, there have been 8,958 visits to HSC emergency and 21 deaths.
According to a Shared Health spokesperson, patients coming to an emergency department are often experiencing severe illness or injury. The spokesperson added that there a number of reasons for the increase in emergency department deaths, but the most significant is the growth of high-acuity patients.
“More than 3,000 additional high-acuity patients were seen at HSC’s adult emergency department in 2022 than in 2019,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“The increase in high-acuity volumes is unlike the experience of many similarly sized Canadian hospitals, which saw decreases during the same time period.”
Shared Health noted that other factors that may have contributed to the increase in deaths are the COVID-19 mortality rate; an increase in substance misuse; the aging population with complex health needs; the consolidation of stroke services at HSC; and delays in people seeking care during the earlier stages of the pandemic.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
Israel says it reopened a key Gaza crossing after a rocket attack but the UN says no aid has entered
The Israeli military said Wednesday that it has reopened the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, a key terminal for the entry of humanitarian aid that was closed over the weekend after a Hamas rocket attack killed four Israeli soldiers nearby.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.