John Staples, who was in the waiting room on Tuesday, described the scene as “a grim and bleak realization that our health care system is so woefully broken.” Global News spoke with Staples, who confirmed what he saw.
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He said in an interview that he arrived at the ER around midnight and the waiting room was quite full. Staples said he saw a person who appeared to be in physical discomfort sitting in a wheelchair. It was an hour before a nurse showed up to check on that particular patient. That’s when Staples noticed she wasn’t breathing. Story continues below ad “Then three other people came out and led the person back and called the code blue and it was confirmed that the person had passed,” he said. He said the whole thing showed him how dire the health care situation is. “They say we have free healthcare. It seems to come at the cost of people’s lives.” Staples said he could tell the nurses and staff were stressed and weak, and he believes those who were there that night did everything they could to save the person’s life. “The health care system is stretched, they were stretched, and I can’t even imagine the stress they would have to lose a patient in their waiting room,” he said.
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Horizon Health Network has confirmed that one person died unexpectedly in the hospital’s waiting room. Trending Stories
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The regional health authority said it was investigating the incident. “Horizon thoroughly reviews any unexpected deaths that occur at our facilities to determine what happened and if further action is required,” said Horizon CEO Dr. John Dornan, in an emailed statement. Story continues below ad “As it relates to this incident, we have immediately started the review process. We would like to extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of this individual.
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The death was only confirmed by the health authority after Staples took to social media to post what he saw. “After more than an hour later (having watched 2 half-hour shows on the waiting room TV), an ER staff member came out to check on the person. When the ER staff member calmly rushed back to the ER area, I looked at the person and noticed no ups and downs in breathing,” he wrote in the post. “I was there to see a fellow New Brunswicker die in a hospital waiting room,” he said. In a statement, Health Minister Dorothy Shephard said she was “deeply saddened and concerned” and spoke to Dornan from Horizon Health to request the review. “We know that the health care system is facing challenges and that frontline staff are working hard. I have no doubt that every New Brunswicker and all of our health care workers are affected by this story. We all want to know that when we go for help it will be there and that it can be provided,” he said. “I look forward to receiving more information from Horizon officials in the coming days as the assessment progresses and the Department of Health offers our support to help in any way we can.” Story continues below ad 1:51 NB Family doctor talks health care system issues Note: Family doctor talks health care system issues – June 29, 2022
Shortage of health workers
The province’s health care system has been dealing with staffing issues even before the arrival of COVID-19. It faces significant recruitment and retention issues that are only exacerbated by the strain of the pandemic — both with infected staff and more patients requiring hospitalization.
Read more: Five NB hospitals close or reduce hours ahead of weekend citing staff shortages
Last weekend, five hospitals were either forced to close emergency departments or reduce their hours amid these staffing problems. © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
