Hospitals team up to tackle increased seasonal volumes [Video]

Windsor-Essex health care partners are working together in anticipation of increased hospital volumes heading into the winter.

Erie Shores HealthCare (ESHC), Essex-Windsor EMS (EMS), Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) and Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) are collaborating on capacity and resource management and lett should expect in the season ahead.

On an annual basis, hospital officials say they anticipate high emergency department visits and admission volumes – often times running over 100 per cent capacity – when viruses spread through the community in the winter.

This year, however, officials say they are already operating at surge-season levels, running at 120 per cent capacity even before winter begins. As a result, they expect the strain to be even greater in the coming months.

To manage this increased demand, officials say they continue to implement methods to address patient overflow where required, including opening additional beds and redeploying resources where needed to help reduce …