Those visiting the emergency room at Petrolia's Charlotte Eleanor Englehart hospital don't have to wait long to access the care they need.
Patients with complex needs are waiting an average of 2.2 hours in the ER, compared to the Ontario rural hospital average of 5.6 hours.
For patients with minor conditions, wait times are 1.7 hours compared to 2.4 hours provincially.
Bluewater Health VP of Operations Laurie Zimmer says it's a testament to the importance of working as a team.
"We work very closely with our community partners to help support patients, and especially primary care," says Zimmer. "So, I think the great linkage we have connecting our patients from an emergency perspective and seeing them in the ER and linking them directly to their primary care provider is one of our key strategies."
Zimmer says ER wait times in Petrolia are lower than 90% of similar hospitals in the province.
About 20,000 patients visit CEE's emergency room each year, compared to 60,000 in Sarnia.
