Don't be nervous to visit the ER during COVID-19 pandemic: Hospital officials

OTTAWA -- Officials at hospitals across the Ottawa region are telling residents not to be nervous about visiting the emergency department if they need emergency care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Visits to hospital emergency rooms across Ottawa are down by approximately 50 per cent over the past month.

Champlain Health Region Incident Commander Dr. Andrew Willmore says the Ottawa Hospital and other hospitals across the region put mitigation strategies in place to help relieve overcrowding in emergency rooms and to make the hospital a safe place for people needing care.

But Dr. Willmore told reporters on Thursday afternoon that there is anxiety about visiting the ER due to COVID-19.

“We certainly have heard loud and clear that folks are nervous about coming to hospital,” said Dr. Willmore.

“It’s really important for patients who are experiencing symptoms that pre-COVID would have brought them to the emergency department, those patients should still come to the emergency department.”

Dr. Willmore says part of the decrease in emergency room volume was by design, so hospitals can continue the care provision for all patients needing treatment for COVID-19 and other ailments.

The two COVID-19 care clinics in Ottawa have seen nearly 500 patients since opening last week. The clinics are  designed for patients with COVID-19 symptoms to seek care without visiting a family doctor or hospital.

The COVID-19 Community Assessment Centre at Brewer Arena is available to test patients for COVID-19 so they don’t have to visit the hospital.

Dr. Willmore says the hospitals also “down-regulated certain activities”, including patients no longer needing to visit an emergency department after a procedure for a quick follow-up.

Positive coping strategies

Ottawa’s Medical Officer of Health is urging residents to look after their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We know the situation is taking a toll on people’s mental health,” said Dr. Vera Etches.

“It is completely natural to feel stress and concern during these times, so it is important to practice positive coping strategies. Just a note, drinking alcohol is not a positive coping strategy.”

Dr. Etches says people in need of assistance should contact the Distress Centre of Ottawa, click on the Ottawa Public Health website, or visit the emergency room.

“If people are in a crisis, those services are there for them. The emergency room definitely are a place to go if there is a mental health crisis.”