The Erie St. Clair LHIN continues to try to whittle down wait times at Emergency Departments including Bluewater Health.
New statistics show E.D.'s within the area, including Bluewater Health, have the second lowest urgent care wait times among Ontario's 14 LHIN's.
We rank sixth in waiting times for patients in need of less urgent care.
Emergency Department LHIN Lead Dr. David Ng says they base care on levels of urgency. Level One is for patients with immediate life-threatening conditions.
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Wait times increase when the emergency department gets busy or when Level One cases arrive by ambulance. The availability of acute care beds also plays a factor.
Dr. Ng. says before going to the emergency department ask yourself if it's a true emergency, or whether you can visit a walk-in clinic or wait to see your family doctor.