Columnists
Care chaos
It doesn’t happen very often but it’s, Thursday the 19th as I’m writing this column. I usually have a pile of notes and on Sundays I sit down with my cup of Joe, CBS Sunday Morning on the telly and pull everything together. But I’ll be stuffed inside an MRI tunnel on Sunday and I don’t think I can bring my laptop and notes in with me. As many of you know, I have a big ole, inoperable tumour. I can honestly say that hardly a day goes by when I don’t think about it. Hardly a day goes by when I am not completely and utterly grateful for the wonderful healthcare professionals who have helped me on this journey. And, hardly a day goes by when I’m not beholden to Ontario’s healthcare system. Yes, I know Ontario Health isn’t perfect and likely a few deficits, in the system. But as LOML has often said, “We’ve had several significant health crises in our family and we still have a roof over our heads and are not in debt because of the health care provided to us.”
That being said, we do have loads of healthcare system issues. Doug Ford is talking the talk about funding private-for-profit clinics to deliver surgeries and diagnostic services that are already covered by OHIP. Unwisely, rather than choosing to properly fund to public clinics and hospitals, he’s providing $155 million of our health care dollars to fund private centres. The Premier told us it will reduce wait times and increase efficiency. Most of the users of public health care in Ontario are worried privatization will draw resources away from the public. Essentially, Ontario taxpayers will pay for those millions, but most of us can’t afford to utilize the services of the privatized health care. Doug’s health care ideas look a whole lot more like the American “care for profit” system and it fails to address the primary health care crisis in this province. As users of Ontario’s healthcare system, we can help make it more viable by being proactive and letting our MPPs know how we feel about funding for private clinics.
As users, we can also be more aware of the strain we put on the system when we head for the emergency department for every sneeze, sniffle and scratch. Pink eye, a cough without a fever, a minor sore throat, a cold, prescription refills and minor cuts are, for the most part, non-urgent and can lead to delayed care for critical patients. The ER is not a primary care clinic, even if you don’t have a primary care physician. If you do have a primary care physician, make an appointment with them for your non-urgent health care issues. If you don’t have a primary care physician and you feel your concern might be minor, but you need some guidance, call Telehealth at 811 to speak with a Registered Nurse or visit an Urgent Care Clinic. Our local Community Clinic (princeedwardfht.com/community-clinic) is put on by the Prince Edward Family Health Team. Please don’t use the ER just because you feel it’s more convenient. Emergency Rooms are for serious injuries or illnesses that could be life threatening or life-altering. Don’t forget, pharmacists can offer help for minor skin conditions, pink eye and UTIs.
If you don’t like the current state of Ontario’s healthcare system, let your MPP know by emailing that person with your concerns. Complaining on a social media platform is a bit like talking to a wall and stirs up a lot of “comment chaos”. I’m sure Tyler Allsopp and Doug Ford would love to hear from you!
Tyler Allsopp is the Member of Provincial Parliament for the Bay of Quinte riding and can be reached by phone at: 613.962.1144 or by email at: tyler.allsopp@pc.ola.org
Doug Ford can be reached at: doug.fordco@pc.ola.org or 416.745.2859
I’m sorry to hear about your tumour @Theresa, that sucks.
I will say, the ‘Government Approved’ ways to get prompt healthcare in Ontario are either dwindling, or becoming harder to use, leading to more usage of the ER.
Your recommendation to call 811 for non-emergencies makes sense *if the system functions as it’s supposed to*, but recently The Local (another great Independent Paper) reported wait times that *exceeded* ER wait times.
These are the systems supposed to keep people out of the ER, and it’s shameful that (per the article) “Both the Ministry of Health and Ontario Health, the provincial agency responsible for Health811, did not answer multiple requests from The Local for an interview to discuss this data and the internal operations of the service. ”
A few other quotes from the article:
“Data obtained through freedom of information requests show wait times have increased dramatically since Health811 replaced Telehealth Ontario, peaking at a monthly average of more than 11 hours.”
“For a service that’s supposed to help keep people out of the ER, to have wait times that are actually longer than the ER, like, what’s the actual point?”
https://thelocal.to/health811-telehealth-wait-times-ontario/
People use the ER for non-urgent healthcare because Doug Ford provides no working alternatives. If I can use 811 to hear from a Nurse on what to do with a worsening fever after waiting on hold for 15-20 minutes to be told what medicine I should take to help, that’s a reasonable wait time for non-urgent care and I can just go to the Pharmacy, not the ER.
However If I’m going to be on hold *all night* waiting for a nurse to get back to me, I might as well drive to the hospital and wait there in case it gets worse, and I don’t think we should blame Ontarians for using a system that *works* (going to the ER for non-urgent care) when the alternative (waiting 11 hours and feeling sicker by the minute) is simply an unacceptable level of healthcare in a first world country.
“Doris Grinspun, chief executive officer of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, said there needs to be public reporting on Health811’s website that provides clear, easy-to-understand metrics on how the service is faring. That could include a dashboard with information like real-time wait times, the most common questions from callers and chat users, and their satisfaction scores.
“Those are the types of things that will truly improve the system, in my view, going forward,” she said.
As it stands, patients like Dawn Smith are left with a system that promises 24-hour access but can’t provide timely help.
That night, back in December 2024, she ultimately gave up on Health811. Instead, she waited to call her doctor’s office when it opened the next morning, and saw a primary care provider within their family health team. She said she’s not sure she’d ever bother contacting Health811 again.
“I’m lucky that I do have a doctor,” said Smith, relieved she didn’t end up having to wait more than 11 hours for a call back from Health811. “If that was my only option, that’s ridiculous.”
Thank you, I would be happy to discuss your experience and healthcare more broadly any time!