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Doctor decries lack of beds for critically-ill babies by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff 5 | Thursday September 7, 2017 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insidehalton.com An Oakville resident and pediatrician is calling for more government funding for equipment and nurses after raising the alarm about a lack of beds for critically-ill babies in this province. Late last month (Aug. 22) Dr. Rick MacDonald took to social media Tweeting "No NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) beds tonight anywhere except maybe Ottawa; my chief sends us this notice with a "Good Luck," which echoes around the province." MacDonald, who has served the community as a pediatrician for 27 years, following a residency at the Hospital For Sick Children and a neonatal intensive care unit fellowship in the Mount Sini SickKids program, said the Tweet came after he received a notice that the level three NICUs in the Province of Ontario were undergoing a significant bed shortage. "That included Mount Sinai Hospital, the Hospital For Sick Children, Sunnybrook Hospital and McMaster University Centre," said MacDonald. "All of which were either closed or restricted." The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit provides care for babies who need special attention due to complications like a preterm birth. The units also help babies born with low birth weights, breathing difficulties, low blood sugar or who are struggling with an infection. According to the Mount Sinai Hospital Dr. Rick MacDonald | Twitter photo website 1,100 babies are admitted to that hospital's Newton Glassman NICU each year. MacDonald noted while the staff at a place like Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital (OTMH) can safely deliver and stabilize a premature baby or a baby with critical health issues -- they do need NICU beds at pediatric centres like the Hospital For Sick Children to send these critically-ill babies to so they can be helped by experts in the neonatal field. When no NICU beds in the area are available that is when things can get difficult for families already going through a traumatic ordeal. "When you tell parents their baby is sick, but it has been stabilized and must be sent out to a pediatric centre, that's already scary enough. It's worse when you have to tell them there are no beds available at the present time," said MacDonald. "On Tuesday night of last week (Aug. 22) the possibilities were that the child would have to go to Ottawa or possibly out of province." MacDonald said in the past when no local NICU beds have been available these critically ill babies have even been sent to Buffalo, New York. He said there is a real possibility this could happen again if action is not taken. Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care officials confirmed some NICUs are facing an unusual "surge," in critically-ill babies, but emphasized the situation is temporary and that they are working with the Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) and affected hospitals to take immediate action. "This is a fluctuating situation and hospitals are working closely and in coordination to manage these pressures," said Mark Nesbitt, Ministry spokesperson. "The NICU situation continues to show improvement since last week, this is consistent with the fluctuating nature of patient flow." Nesbitt says there is no single cause for the sudden increase in babies requiring highly specialized care. He pointed out that so far no babies have needed to be sent outside of the province. "The situation is stabilizing," said Nesbitt Sept. 1. "While we know there is always more work to do, investing in healthcare is a top priority of our government. That's why as part of the 2017 Budget, we are investing an additional $518 million in all public hospitals, a 3.1 per cent overall increase to the hospital sector, to improve patient access to care, reduce wait times, and improve the patient experience for all Ontarians at their local hospital." He said the Ministry is monitoring the situation and will increase NICU capacities as necessary. While MacDonald said he is optimistic the right people are now listening, he pointed out on Aug. 28 there were still issues at McMaster University Centre because its transport team, which picks up sick babies from other hospitals did not have enough nurses. He argues ultimately this is a government funding issue, which needs to be resolved to expand the capacity of the NICUs at these children's hospitals. "They have pared down things so much and have gotten away with it in the past and have been able to send babies to other units within the metro area, but for this cycle this wasn't a possibility," said MacDonald. "There is a need for government funding, not just for beds, but for nurses. Nurses are critical to the running of a NICU. They look after the patients. We of course have to make decisions see Issue on p.18 REGI ST NOW A L L L E V E L S A G E S 2 & U P REGISTER F A L L D A N C E P R O GR A M S SIGN UP NOW @ WWW.THEDANCESTATION.CA AS OF SEPT 11, SIGN UP IN-PERSON: MONDAY - THURSDAY: 5-7 PM SATURDAY: 10 AM - 12 NOON UP N SIG I N E L O N DAY! TO 1 BY MAY 3 ER BY MAY 3 ER REGI ST T H E D A N C E S T AT I O N 90 5 632 5608 1 8 0 0 A P P L E B Y L I N E , U N I T 6 B U R L I N G T O N W W W . T H E D A N C E S T AT I O N . C A 1