Kelowna General Hospital is in the midst of one of its busiest times of the year.
With a capacity of 131% on Friday, the hospital is currently around 30% overcapacity, although it fluctuatues on a daily and even hourly basis.
Danielle Cameron, Health Service Director at KGH says the hospital attributes some of the increase to influenza and gastrointestinal illness activity in the community.
Several residential care facilities have been hit with an outbreak so the hospital has been caring for those ill residents. Some now healthy residents have also been forced to remain at the hospital until the outbreak at their care facility is over, causing more strain.
The hospital doesn’t have enough rooms for all of the patients which has led to some patients being cared for in the hallways, which the Cameron admits is not ideal.
“We empathize with the patients who find themselves in this situation,” she says “It’s important to note that the medical needs of these patients are being met”.
Cameron says regardless of the increased volume, the hospital is providing care to anyone who attends the hospital.