Nielsen stated she usually appears to be like out to see discharged sufferers being escorted by safety to the bus cease and left there, typically crying out for help, and has movies of such incidents courting again to 2021.
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Julianna Nielsen was searching from her house throughout from Royal Jubilee Hospital on Sunday night when she noticed 4 safety guards escorting a girl to a bus cease in entrance of her constructing.
The girl was screaming, so Nielsen rushed out to assist her, and located her mendacity on the bus cease on the intersection of Richmond and Bay streets, chilly and in a sedated-like state.
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Nielsen stated the girl, who was sporting a hospital wristband, stated she was homeless.
Nielsen introduced a blanket for the girl, who would stay on the cease for near an hour, till a bus rider referred to as 911, and paramedics arrived and put her in an ambulance.
Safety guards from the hospital then walked to the bus cease to inform paramedics the girl had been discharged. At that time, the ambulance took the girl again to the hospital parking zone.
She was left outdoors in a moist bike parking spot whereas safety guards and a nurse tried to find out their subsequent plan of action. Whereas the girl was nonetheless mendacity on the bottom, a safety guard approached a Instances Colonist reporter and requested that any movies taken of the girl within the hospital parking zone be deleted, citing affected person confidentiality.
It’s unclear what occurred to the girl after that.
Nielsen stated she usually appears to be like out to see discharged sufferers being escorted by safety to the bus cease and left there, typically crying out for help, and has movies of such incidents courting again to 2021.
“I really feel overwhelming frustration with how these sufferers are being handled and dehumanized,” stated Nielsen, a college administrator. “It’s undoubtedly not a one-off.”
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Nielsen stated many individuals left on the bus cease appear confused and a few seem like in ache. “I hear individuals begging for assist.”
Whereas she was happy to see the quantity of people that checked on the girl Sunday evening — together with the one who referred to as 911 — she desires to see extra accountability from the Well being Ministry and a greater patient-discharge course of.
Pierce Nettling, who lives subsequent door to Royal Jubilee Hospital, stated he’s additionally witnessed individuals being dropped at the bus cease and left, sporting hospital garb and carrying a bag of their belongings.
“This bus cease is getting used as a dumping floor,” stated Nettling, calling it a “vicious circle” the place the affected person is discharged and dumped, solely to return once more.
“Somebody is being dragged who’s clearly in misery and shouldn’t be outdoors a hospital and is delivered to a bus cease and typically falls into the road and everybody is aware of [about it],” he stated.
“From the neighbourhood perspective we really feel trapped — there’s nothing we will actually do, nothing we will actually say — who’re we alleged to name in these conditions?”
Well being Minister Adrian Dix was not out there Monday however Marko Peljhan, Island Well being vice-president of medical providers for central and south Vancouver Island, stated it’s necessary not to attract conclusions from any particular person state of affairs.
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Royal Jubilee Hospital discharges nearly 20,000 sufferers a yr, and emergency division employees could give sufferers bus tickets or taxi chits if they’re unhoused or weak, he stated. In some instances, safety guards could assist discharged sufferers get into taxis or get to the bus cease.
“There are occasions completely the place we discharge of us that shouldn’t have a method to get to the place they should go subsequent, so we do assist with bus tickets and taxi vouchers,” he stated.
Sufferers who’re discharged have to be medically steady and now not want medical care, Peljhan stated.
There’s a discharge course of and care groups, social employees and different employees assist sufferers once they depart hospital, he stated. The well being authority works with households, assist networks, group companions, shelters and housing officers, he stated, including: “We’ve at occasions supported short-term lodge stays if there should not different choices.”
Peljhan stated it’s a wrestle to discharge “anyone that doesn’t have a house to go to.”
“It’s completely a problem that we’re discovering in our city centres on the Island.”
Usually talking, he stated the well being authority desires to have a look at the way it can enhance discharging processes to raised assist sufferers.
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