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Nurses blame HSC death on staff shortageDeluge of ambulances hit ER when Lecoy arrived, union saysBy Leah JanzenStaff Reporter_A SERIOUS nursing shortage combined with a disorganized emergency response system may have contributed to the death of a Winnipeg man at the Health Sciences Centre last weekend, health officials say.According to Linda Sparrow, president of the Manitoba Nurses Union local at HSC, the emergency room is operating with only five or six nurses — down from the nine or 10 usually working during a shift — because positions can’t be filled.“It’s been said for the last three years that something tragic could happen because of the current situation,’’ she said yesterday. “The nurses are extremely upset about this.”HSC spokesman Jim Rodger has said the ward was fully staffed the night of Feb. 26 when John Lecoy died in an interview room waiting for treatment for a suspected drug overdose.Adding to the frustration, said Sparrow, is a problem with the city’s emergency response system, which often results in numerous ambulances converging on one hospital at the same time.“We had nine out of the 10 ambulances in the city at our doors last Saturday night,” she said.“As nurses, we brought up this concern before Christmas, but we haven’t heard any response. ”Sparrow said she’d like to see a more co-ordinated approach to how' ambulances are dispatched.She suggested a supervisor could stay in touch with city hospitals during the day, keeping tabs on how busy they are with walk-in traffic and cases that arrived by other means.That way, said Sparrow, dispatchers could direct ambulances to hospitals that aren’t as busy.Currently, there is no system in place to do that.Jan Currie, associate vice-president of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, said the authority is launching its own probe into Lecoy’s death. She would also like to review why HSCJohn Lecoy died Feb. 26 while awaiting treatment for asuspecteddrugoverdose at HSC.had so much ambulance traffic at one time Saturday night.The WRHA probe will ask medical people from outside Manitoba, and who have ER experience, to review the circumstances of Lecoy’s death. The review’s terms of reference and committee members will be identified over the next two weeks.Paramedics respond to calls for an ambulance and quickly assess the patient’s stability, according to Paula Slobodian, a city spokeswoman.If the patient is deemed stable and voices a preference for which hospital they want to go to, they’re taken there.If patients are seriously ill, they’re taken to the nearest hospital.She said it’s difficult for dispatchers to know what happens to a patient oncethey’ve beendelivered to a hospital.Some may be treated andreleased while others may need longer-term care, so dispatchers aren’t aware of the volume of patients a hospital is dealing with at any one time.HSC tends to get the lion’s share of business because it is a trauma centre and the only ER in the city centre.Last Saturday night, Lecoy was brought to the HSC by police cruiser because there were no ambulances available to transport him.He died in the interview room in handcuffs before nurses or doctors were able to get to him to assess his condition or begin treatment.Sparrow said according to chart information, Lecoy was next on the list to be assessed when he died.‘It’sbeen said for the last three years that something tragic could happen because of the current situation, The nurses are extremely upset about this’— Linda Sparrow, president of the HSC local of Manitoba Nurses Union
Newspaper Details
Winnipeg Free Press Sunday
Winnipeg, Manitoba, CA
Sun, Mar 05, 2000
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Halldor B.
CA 06 Jan 2024
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