19°c Partly cloudy
12°c Cloudy with showers
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
WRHA defends Seven Oaks in wake of recent headlines
Seven Oaks' emergency room saw 47,215 patients in 2011, second only to the 54,525 seen at the ER at Health Sciences Centre. (JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS) Photo Store
Winnipeggers needing to visit a hospital emergency room should still feel comfortable about attending Seven Oaks, says the boss of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
Arlene Wilgosh said the city’s second busiest ER provides "safe, quality care."
In recent weeks, the Seven Oaks General Hospital’s ER has been making headlines for all of the wrong reasons. The stories have included that of:
- A Winnipeg woman who launched a lawsuit against Dr. Werner Van Dyk, a Seven Oaks emergency doctor, alleging his misdiagnosis was responsible for the death of her 33-year-old sister two years ago. Read more on this story.
- 68-year-old Heather Brenan, who died in late January when she was sent home from the hospital’s emergency ward alone in a taxi and collapsed on her doorstep. The WRHA has labelled her death a critical incident and is investigating. Read more on this story.
- 68-year-old Steven Spence, who suffered a second stroke last Saturday within hours of being sent home from the hospital ER. He had his first stroke earlier that day. His family says the hospital should have monitored him for 24 hours. The WRHA is investigating the complaint. Read more on this story.
By one measure, Seven Oaks is one of the top-performing emergency rooms in the city, Wilgosh said in an interview. Next to Concordia Hospital, it has the second fewest number of patients requiring a follow-up visit to ER or admission to hospital, she said.
And it sees a lot of patients — 47,215 in 2011 — second only to the 54,525 seen at the emergency room at Health Sciences Centre.
The Seven Oaks ER is also known to be "fairly progressive in their processes," taking a "multidisciplinary team approach" to patient care, the WRHA president and CEO said.
However, Wilgosh said the WRHA is taking the recent incidents seriously.
"We’re reviewing our policies and our processes, our procedures," she said. "We’ve actually had meetings with the physicians and the staff in the emergency department. And we are encouraging them to err on the side of caution (when releasing patients)."
Wilgosh said the Seven Oaks ER is not understaffed.
She has not ordered an overall review of the hospital’s emergency department. Instead, she will await the results of reviews of the Brenan and Spence cases.
"If there is something that comes forward in those specific cases that speaks to the need to do a more formal review of the entire department, then that is something that we will consider at that point," she said.
History
Updated on Friday, March 23, 2012 at 1:43 PM CDT: Tweaks headline
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 44 articles for today)
'I do not use crack cocaine': Ford ends week of silence on crack video scandal
4:23 PM 0View Related
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Crash claims two young women, RCMP say
- Woman drove into river on purpose
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- 'I told them, "I think that guy downstairs is dead"': teen witness at murder trial
- Bridge collapse survivor who fell in river: 'You hold on as tight as you can'
- Woman run over three times by her own car
- Katz knew golf plan doomed 'months ago'
- City's first urban reserve born
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Crash claims two young women, RCMP say
- Winnipeg woman camps out in front of legislature to protest child welfare
- 2 dead in crash near Portage la Prairie
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Two men now facing first-degree murder charges in Tim Bosma test drive death
- Rainfall warning issued for southern Manitoba
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Driver crashes into tree near golf course
- Arrests made after raids on local head shops
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Catching up with Arrested Development's Bluth family
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Lake St. Martin reserve close to getting new home
- 'I told them, "I think that guy downstairs is dead"': teen witness at murder trial
- Jockey club launches $350-M civil suit against province
- Toews 'disappointed' U.S., Canada at loggerheads over meat labeling regulations
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- New owner for lumber stores
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- Marsh Madness: Photographers Fred Greenslade and Joe Bryksa capture spring migration's grandeur at Delta Marsh
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Skin picking gets status as distinct disorder, should help sufferers access help
- Order of Manitoba recipients announced
- New owner for lumber stores
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Dogs can experience separation anxiety and depression just like humans
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Saskatchewan professor wants to test the health benefits of nose-picking
- 'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.