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
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
BREAKING Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko won't play in Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks will be without all-star goalie Thatcher Demko when they face the Nashville Predators in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.