The Collingwood General and Marine Hospital (CGMH) announced a new pilot project aimed at reducing the crowds in the emergency room and giving a same-day appointment option for urgent ailments that could wait a few hours for treatment.
According to a news release from the hospital, the pilot project aims to "streamline the emergency visit process for those with coughs, cold symptoms and minor limb injuries."
Further communication from the hospital indicates a minor limb injury could be a sprain or potential break provided there is no bleeding, loss of consciousness, head, neck or back injuries. Those cases should proceed directly to the emergency room.
The appointments, or "arrival times" as the hospital refers to them, will be offered the same day or the next day between 8 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. from Monday to Friday. There will be five arrival times available to start.
Those booking an appointment will be asked to do so online, answering questions related to their symptoms or injury.
If all the appointments are full, anyone experiencing a health emergency should go to the emergency department, states the hospital's news release.
“The population in the South Georgian Bay region has grown significantly over the past three years, along with the volume of patients who are presenting at our emergency department," said CGMH President and CEO Mike Lacroix, in the news release. "Because many of the individuals who have moved to the region do not have access to a family physician, it’s important that we continue to pursue innovative ways to ensure access to high quality, timely care when patients need it."
The CGMH news release noted that the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre in Barrie launched a similar booking system in May 2023 and data collected from both hospitals will be part of the research to study the program's efficacy.
As part of the pilot project, patients will be asked to complete an anonymous survey, emailed to them post-appointment, to gather patient feedback to make future enhancements and potentially expand the number of assessment spots in the future.
“The goal of this pilot is to increase patient access, improve the patient experience and grow the pilot to include more arrival times for lower acuity items, while preventing overcrowding at the busiest times of day," stated Dr. Greg Devet, CGMH chief of emergency medicine, in the news release.
Bookings can be scheduled on CGMH’s website under the emergency department tab, beginning Wednesday, November 22.
