The emergency department at Timmins and District Hospital has introduced a new tool to help you to decide whether to go there.
Emergency department manager Kim Bazinet says you just have to check the hospital’s web site.
“We have a new tracking system and we’re doing it electronically so we’re using our own wait times and we’re measuring from the time the person comes in and gets registered to the time they actually enter the department,” she explains, “and it’s just being broadcast on our web page.”
The page is updated every 15 minutes. Bazinet cautions, however, that things can change very quickly, depending on how many people come in to the ER and how urgent their conditions are.
“Oh, for sure, it is definitely a moving target at all times,” she admits. “But it kind of gives you a little bit of an estimate and this is definitely not for patients who are having chest pains. It’s more for the patients who are coming to the emergency department for non-urgent matters.”
The page also mentions alternatives, such as a walk-in clinic.
