WEYBURN – The Emergency Room at the Weyburn General Hospital is experiencing pressure, in part because residents are using the facility for non-emergency medical issues.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority is requesting residents to consider how serious their medical issue is before showing up at the ER.
“We are experiencing high pressures on the ER in Weyburn. We are seeing a high volume of patients which could be seen in a clinic as opposed to the ER,” said Trevor Tessier, director of Primary Health Care for the SHA.
He noted the patients coming to the ER are a combination of COVID and non-COVID patients, and many people could be taking these issues to a clinic or calling the 811 Health Line.
The SHA has provided a guide for residents to use before calling the ER, with some examples of issues that would be better served by going to a doctor’s clinic, seeing a pharmacist or even by calling the Health Line at 811.
People who have difficulty breathing, chest pain, shoulder pain, uncontrollable bleeding, face droop or slurred speech, unconsciousness or severe trauma, call 911 immediately.
Those cases where a person should go to the nearest emergency department include a head injury, broken or fractured bones, trauma-related injuries, confusion or a change in mental state, abdominal pain, or thoughts or acts of self-harm.
Patients who have an unexpected illness or pain, cold-flu symptoms, ear or throat pain, have mental health concerns, chronic illness care or need prescription refills, call a doctor or visit a walk-in clinic. Appointments may be virtual or in-person.
People should do self-care at home for issues like scrapes and bruises, mild COVID symptoms such as a sore throat, headache and fever, or diarrhea. In the case of diarrhea, if it’s ongoing for more than one day, then seek additional care from a doctor.
Calls to a pharmacist could include issues like a nail fungus infection, diarrhea, minor wound care or cold symptoms.
People can call the 811 Health Line if a person is unsure how to manage symptoms, have symptoms of COVID-19 and may need a test, need to report adverse reactions to a COVID vaccine, or need mental health support.
