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Donuts for Doctors? Vancouver Canada's Royal Columbian Hospital had an unexpected overflow of patients. Tim Horton's is Canada's version of Dunkin Donuts, with great coffee. So where did the overflow of patients at Royal Columbian Hospital get sent? To Tim Horton's, which was doubling as a waiting room. UPDATE: The actual story refers to them using the Coffee and Donut store as the Emergency Room overflow, not the waiting room.
When more than 100 patients overflowed the 48 beds in the Royal Columbian Hospital’s emergency room late Monday and early Tuesday, officials looked across the hall at a Tim Hortons outlet and started moving stretchers in.
ER doctor spokesman Dr. Sheldon Glazer said it was better than the alternative of treating more people in hallways, as it allowed for better care and privacy.
Overflowing emergency rooms have been a long-standing problem in Lower Mainland hospitals. The problem is in part due to delays in transferring people out of emergency to beds in other wards.
The provincial health ministry measures the length of time it takes patients who are admitted through emergency rooms to get a bed. The provincial target calls for 80 per cent to be transferred within 10 hours.
Where to start with this story? How about with the logical conclusion - Canadian style health care is not necessarily the way to go. Take a hint single payer enthusiasts.
