Dollars to expand emergency room doctor coverage will pay off: Sault Area Hospital

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The extra dollars seem to be just what the doctor ordered.

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Time until initial examination by a physician at Sault Area Hospital, the period between registration and appointment with a physician assistant, physician, or nurse practitioner, there has been “significant improvement” over the past three months, with wait times consistently below the five-hour target. SAH says the addition of 16 hours of daily doctor’s visits, funded by the Department of Health, has had a “measurable” impact.

At Monday’s board meeting, it was revealed that the hospital had secured a six-month extension of additional funding, with assessments to continue every six months.

“This is an example of how funding makes a difference,” said the director and This was stated by the Chairman of the Resources Committee, Armand Capisholto.

Initially, funding was provided to Sault Area Hospital to cover costs incurred between April 1 and September 30.

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SAH Director of Communications and Public Affairs Brandi Sharp Young told the Sault Star. a week in hospital received an estimate of $158,700 in one-time funding under the temporary housing program for the first quarter only – from April 1 to June 30.

“This is only an estimate and is subject to change,” Sharp Young said.

Since expenses for the second quarter (July to September) have not yet been finalized and confirmed, the amount of funding has not yet been determined. SAH was notified in September that it could make a claim for expenses incurred between 1 October and 31 March 2025.

“The amount of funding is unknown at this time,” Sharp Young said.

The ability to access temporary replacement dollars to expand physician coverage in the emergency department allows SAH to better accommodate unassigned patients and is “key” to reducing initial evaluation times and overall wait times in the emergency department, Ila Hospital President and CEO said last month Watson. Since the introduction of expanded physician coverage in June, initial assessment times have fallen “significantly,” she added.

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When hospital occupancy levels reach high levels—between 200 and 300—moving patients out of the emergency department becomes difficult, resulting in fewer beds available.

SAH treats 45,000 to 50,000 patients each year in SAH’s emergency department and accelerated care clinic. On average, about 150 patients are admitted daily.

Quality committee chair Johanne Messier-Mann said that although the number of patients had not increased significantly, the situation could change over the next six to 12 months.

The problem with primary care here became abundantly clear last spring when Group Health Center announced that about 10,000 patients—a sixth of GHC’s overall roster—had lost access to primary care services due to a significant physician shortage.

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However, the province intervened at the last minute, unveiling plans to build a new health center funded by the Ministry of Health. The province has committed more than $2.8 million over two years to create the Access Care Clinic at 170 East St. GHC, which will serve 11,200 patients.

According to the Ontario Medical Association, one in five Ontarians currently does not have a family MD, and unless action is taken, this figure will rise to one in four. An estimated 30,000 people in the area now lack a primary care provider.

Meanwhile, Messier-Mann said SAH’s efforts to hire a nurse practitioner and a second physician assistant were unsuccessful, adding that medical directives gave PAs “a lot of autonomy.”

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Since 2007, PAs have been integrated into a number of clinical settings, and two university-based PA education programs have been established in Ontario. These individuals work as part of interdisciplinary care teams to help reduce wait times and improve patient access in areas of greatest need, including urgent care and primary care.

Messier-Mann also said the implementation of a virtual queuing system is progressing.

“Improving bed capacity is a priority, including optimizing the use of geriatric assessment nurses in the emergency department,” she said.

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