Doctors head into busy season.
Dr. Patrick Safieh, chief of Family and Community Medicine, advises getting the flu shot, maintaining a healthy diet and exercise to avoid getting sick this year.
Courtesy photo
St. Joseph's Health Centre has one of the busiest emergency departments in the city and as the winter and holiday seasons fast approach, the hospital is already experiencing an influx of patients.
Typically, the southwest Toronto ER receives approximately 250 visits each day, however that number has jumped to as many as 300 this month and the hospital anticipates this is only the beginning of the rush. Last year at this time, St. Joe's emergency room experienced an average of 257 patients daily, which continued into the new year.
Dr. Patrick Safieh, chief of Family and Community Medicine, attributes the rise in visits to the ER as simply to the time of year.
"It's a seasonal thing," he told The Villager during a phone conversation Tuesday, Nov. 15.
The hospital sees more respiratory infections as well as flu-like sicknesses, such as vomiting and diarrhea, in addition to its regular ailments that are not dictated by the season. Safieh cited heart attacks and abdominal pain as just two examples.
It is because of this ever-increasing volume, that medical staff ask patients to consider carefully whether they require emergency treatment for their condition or not.
While the hospital would never turn anyone away, there are alternatives people can consider for treatment of non-emergency health issues, said Safieh.
St. Joseph's Health Centre's increase in patient volume could simply relate to the time of day people feel the most sick, offered Safieh. Perhaps they're falling ill when their family doctor's office is closed, he said.
"Some people just don't have access to a family physician," said Safieh.
In some cases, visits to the emergency room may be non-emergency in nature and therefore could be more appropriate to choose an alternative health care provider within the community. These alternative options include a walk-in clinic, local critical care centre or calling TeleHealth Ontario.
St. Joe's has a Just For Kids Clinic, which is a pediatric walk-in clinic for children up to and including 17 years of age. It can be found on the first floor of the hospital's Glendale Wing and is open Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (closed between 1 and 2 p.m. for lunch) and from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekends and most statutory holidays. Staffed by fully trained pediatricians, the clinic provides services to patients whose doctors may be away or unavailable. It offers complete clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic services and has access to X-ray, ultrasound, MRI and blood work technologies.
Safieh advises maintaining a healthy diet, "eat well and exercise," to prevent illness and boost the immune system.
"If you have a heart condition, make sure that it's taken care of," he said. "If you're taking numerous medications, have them regularly assessed by your family doctor to see what is really needed."
He also recommends people get the flu shot, as it does prevent people from contracting the flu.