CHEO apologizes after errant sign wrongly says emergency room overloaded
The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario is apologizing after a sign outside the hospital incorrectly said the emergency room was overloaded and directed patients elsewhere.
The sign read “CHEO Emergency is overloaded. Please proceed to The Ottawa Hospital,” and listed a phone number.
However, the sign was from a mock disaster response exercise several years ago and should not have been displayed, a CHEO spokesman said Thursday. The hospital’s emergency department remains open.
“Last night, there was construction being done in one of our parking lots (lot B). A sign that had been placed at the entrance of the lot to advise of where patients should park given the parking lot closure appears to have blown away overnight revealing an old sign that it had been placed on top of,” CHEO spokesman Paddy Moore said in a statement.
That old sign was from the mock disaster exercise which was done several years ago, he said.
“It should have been destroyed and was never intended to be displayed outside of the exercise and without someone on hand to explain to, and guide, families coming to our emergency department for care,” he said.
The incorrect sign was removed at 6:08 a.m. when staff became aware of what had happened, Moore said.
“We apologize for, and regret, any confusion this unfortunate situation caused,” he said. “We are working to make it right with any affected families and our counterparts at the Ottawa Hospital.”
Moore said CHEO is aware of one family that went next door to the Ottawa Hospital General campus for care, and the hospital apologizes for that confusion.
It’s unknown what caused the correct sign to be blown away. Moore said a medivac helicopter took off at 3:12 a.m.; it’s unclear whether that or the wind caused the parking sign to dislodge.
The brief scare comes as some eastern Ontario hospitals have been forced to close or reduce the hours of their emergency departments due to staffing shortages.
The ER at the Perth Hospital has been closed since July 2 amid a COVID-19 outbreak and staffing shortages.
CHEO’s May and June were the busiest on record for its emergency department. However, CHEO remains open for children and youth that need urgent or critical care.
“We sincerely regret any confusion caused and want to assure families that we will always do everything we can to get your kids the care they need,” Moore said.
- with files from Jeremie Charron, CTV News Ottawa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.