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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday December 21, 2007 - 7 How to Get Emergency Medical Care this Holiday Season If you have an emergency this holiday season, go to the Emergency Department. With Flu Season upon us, the Emergency Department is a particularly busy, so you may have to wait. Patients are seen by a doctor in order of their need, not their time of arrival. Please be patient. Know when it's an Emergency Doctor's offices often have reduced hours during the holidays and Emergency Departments are always extra busy at this time of the year. Sometimes it is difficult to know whether your problem is serious or not. Here are just a few* examples of when you require emergency medical care - and should go to an Emergency Department. · when you are experiencing pains or tightness in the chest · when you have severe pain · when you have shortness of breath · when a person is choking or having difficulty breathing · when you think you may have fractured or broken a bone, or have a wound that may need stitches · when you have sudden, severe headaches, vision problems, sudden weakness, numbness and/or tingling in the face, arm, or leg, trouble speaking or dizziness · if your child has diarrhea and vomiting and won't eat or drink · when a baby under six months has a fever over 38.5 degrees Celsius or 101 degrees Fahrenheit *If you have any doubts, call 911. The ambulance will take you to the appropriate Emergency Department. Thank You! Thank you to the local regional office of Sun Life Financial for their recent donation of $5,590 for the purchase of equipment for the OTMH Maternal Child program. Above, Sun Life representatives Brian Powers and Perry Badham present their gift to Cindy MacDonald, Maternal Child Program Leader and Allen Wightman, Executive Director of the Oakville Hospital Foundation. Both the local and national offices of Sun Life Financial are long standing corporate partners with OTMH together having donated more than $118,000 to date since 1986. Call Telehealth Ontario 1-866-797-0000 TTY: 1-866-797-0007 Telehealth Ontario gives you immediate and free access to a Registered Nurse 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This means quick, easy access to a qualified health professional, who can assess the seriousness of your symptoms and help you decide what to do. If you are advised to come to the hospital Emergency Department, you will be re-assessed by the Triage nurse in our Emergency Department upon arrival to determine the urgency of your condition. Hospital Visiting Guidelines Patient care is our primary concern at Halton Healthcare. Specific visiting hours have been established for each patient care unit. Please check ahead for visiting hours or check our web site, www.haltonhealthcare.com. The holiday season is also the flu season. Please do not visit patients in the hospital if you are feverish, have a sore throat, have a cold, the flu or any other contagious illness. Washing your hands is one of the best defences against disease. We encourage everyone to wash their hands, upon their arrival and departure, at the convenient hand washing stations located throughout the hospital. Mississauga Halton Community Care Access Centre For information on or access to in-home, community-based or long-term care services, please contact the Mississauga Halton Community Care Access Centre (CCAC) at 905-855-9090 or toll free at 1-877-336-9090. Best Wishes for a very happy, healthy and safe Holiday Season OAKVILLE-TRAFALGAR MEMORIAL HOSPITAL · 327 REYNOLDS STREET · OAKVILLE · ON · L6J 3L7 · 905-845-2571