2,000 patients have been transferred around Ontario to free up beds — but it’s taking a toll – CBC

Patients sent hours from loved ones, paramedics cope with ‘exhausting’ schedule

When Alison McVinnie’s husband, Kevin Crozier, suffered a massive stroke in February, he was transferred between three different hospitals, all in a matter of hours.

In a rapid bid to get him specialized care, the 54-year-old was admitted to the couple’s local hospital near Collingwood, Ont., then transferred to a larger facility 40 minutes away in nearby Barrie, Ont., before being airlifted to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto for life-saving surgery.

Following that procedure, Crozier was sent back to Barrie’s Royal Victoria Hospital in late March to recover closer to home, ending his time bouncing around the province — or so McVinnie thought.

“You could just feel the vibe and the energy changing,” she said. “And things were getting stressful.”

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/ontario-patients-hospitals-beds-toll-1.6022386