CHEO suspends virtual ER visits so staff can focus on in-person care
CHEO is suspending virtual visits to its Emergency Department this winter to reassign staff to providing in-person care at the children's hospital.
CHEO says to keep up with the increased demand for in-person services and reduce the department's wait times, it has suspended virtual visits to the emergency department for 90 days.
"This suspension allows CHEO to reassign much-needed staff from virtual care to providing in-person support to kids and families who are coming to our Emergency Department," said CHEO in a statement.
Staff at the emergency department cared for more than 7,100 children and youth in-person in October, and another 6,682 patients in November.
"CHEO has seen an extraordinary demand for in-person urgent care services, starting with record months in the summer," said the children's hospital on Wednesday.
Over the last three months, visits to the CHEO emergency department have been at levels normally seen at the peak of the viral season through the winter.
In May 2020, CHEO became Canada's first pediatric hospital to offer virtual appointments with a pediatric emergency physician, eliminating the need for families to go to the emergency department for non-medical-life-threatening care.
CHEO says there are alternatives to the emergency department if you need care for your child, including visiting your primary-care provider, a walk-in clinic or a CHEO care clinic.
A new east Ottawa Kids COVID-19 Care Clinic opened on Innes Road in Orleans this fall, providing care for children and youth with acute illnesses, which include a fever, cough or runny nose.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.