April 24, 2024

Building a Better Emergency Department

When emergencies happen, Hamilton counts on St. Joe’s. The Emergency Department at our Charlton Campus has been the busiest ED in the city for years now. In it, our doctors, nurses, and care teams help more than 60,000 patients each year. If we do the math, that’s more than 160 visits to the Emergency Department every single day, and during the peak of respiratory virus season, the number soared to nearly 200 patients per day.  

Our Interim Chief of Emergency Medicine Explains Why: 

“Some patients are arriving at the ED for the things you might expect like COVID-19, influenza, and other respiratory viruses that are waning but still fairly prevalent during this time of year. We’re also seeing a higher number of patients seeking help for their mental health and substance use concerns, while still more are coming in due to more medically complex issues: a lingering effect of scans that were put on hold during the pandemic or fear of going to the Hospital during that time.”

The footprint of the Emergency Department at St. Joseph’s Charlton Campus hasn’t changed in 20 years, but during those same two decades, Hamilton’s population has grown dramatically and visits to the emergency department have increased by double-digit percentages. To keep pace with the growing demand for emergency care in the region, St. Joe’s needs your help to make our Emergency Department renewal a reality.  

These plans include:  

• A larger and redesigned waiting area that can better accommodate the increasing number of patients and families visiting the ER; 
• A new triage area to streamline assessment and protect the privacy and dignity of every patient; 
• And more patient care bays to expedite the time between arrival, diagnosis and treatment, thereby reducing waiting times. 

We need your help to renew our Emergency Department.  

The renewal of the Emergency Department at St. Joe’s is urgently needed to better serve the growing demand for emergency care in our region. But this renovation isn’t something that’s covered by the operating dollars we receive from the province. That’s why it’s a key fundraising priority for our Foundation. If you’d like to help create a bigger, better Emergency Department by donating to St. Joe’s, please click here.