Health Sciences North is still overcapacity, said a spokesperson.
Currently, HSN is at 108 per cent of its capacity, meaning 100 per cent of its available beds are occupied, and then some, said Dan Lessard, media and public relations officer with HSN.
“Around this time of year, the height of flu and cold season, we do get a lot of respiratory illness, particularly for frail elderly who are more susceptible to respiratory illness,” Lessard said.
That's down from 116 per cent on Jan. 11 as stated by Dr. Peter Zalan, president of the medical staff at Health Sciences North, in his latest column on Sudbury.com.
“Thirty-five patients were in beds located in hallways and lounges. Some were on stretchers in the Emergency Department. Others were staying overnight in the Recovery Room after surgery. It was worse this week because of an outbreak of respiratory illness in the community. But it has been bad since September 2016."
A significant part of the problem is the increasing number of frail patients who no longer require an acute hospital stay, but are not ready to go home, the so-called ALC patients, Zalan said in his latest column.
They numbered 101 on Jan. 11. This number has increased by 30 over the last 12 months. On Jan. 16, that number was down a bit, at about 98, said Lessard.
"Since last January (2016), we've been fluctuating between 70 and 100 ALC patients at any given time. It fluctuates daily."
Lessard said there have been very few surgical cancellations as a result.
"Mainly because we feel that's not the answer," he said. "Instead, we're just managing the surgical patient flow better."
