PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
For Immediate Release:
January 10, 2014
Patients facing long waits
LONDON, Ontario –London Health Sciences Centre’s (LHSC) Adult Emergency Departments, at both University and Victoria Hospitals, are experiencing high levels of patient activity.
Our first priority is the health and well-being of our patients and we will continue to maintain high quality patient care under these circumstances.
“During a situation like this, it is our priority to see the most critically ill and injured in a timely manner”, says Dr. Gary Joubert, City Wide Chief/Chair Emergency Medicine. “We ask you not to come to the Emergency Department unless it is a serious illness or an emergency.”
For non-life threatening emergencies we ask you to consider the following options:
- contact your family doctor or a walk-in clinic for flu or flu-like symptoms;
- go to St. Joseph’s Hospital Urgent Care Centre for treatment of non life-threatening illnesses and injuries such as scrapes, cuts, sprains, simple fractures or broken bones, earaches, fevers, coughs, and colds. The Urgent Care Centre is open from 8 am to 6 pm five days a week and 8 am to 4 pm Saturday and Sunday;
- for health advice and general information 24 hours a day, seven days a week contact Telehealth Ontario 1-866-797-0000; and,
- if you must come into the Emergency Department for treatment be prepared for longer waits and please bring only one additional individual with you if necessary.
If you have a medical emergency phone 911 or go to your nearest Emergency Department.
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For media inquiries contact:
Corporate Communications and Public Relations
London Health Sciences Centre
519-685-8500, ext. 76760
After-hours and weekend assistance:
Call LHSC Switchboard at 519-685-8500 and ask to page the communication consultant on-call.
Visit the LHSC Media Room website at www.lhsc.on.ca/media
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