According to Christian Dubé, Minister of Health and Social Services, the situation in emergency departments is improving. This is true when compared with the beginning of 2024, when the average occupancy rate in Montérégie emergency rooms was 173%. Today, Wednesday January 24, it stands at 141%, according to Index Santé. However, the situation is most critical at Châteauguay's Anna-Laberge Hospital. 

There, the occupancy rate is 178%, slightly lower than at the beginning of January. At the time of writing, 95 patients were in emergency. Of these, 12 were waiting to see a doctor. The estimated waiting time was 8 hours and 41 minutes. For patients on stretchers, it took 29 hours 49 minutes to see a doctor. In all, 57 stretchers are occupied in the emergency department, 33 patients have been there for 24 hours and 7 for at least 48 hours. 

Not far behind was the Centre hospitalier du Suroît, with an occupancy rate of 163%. Nearly 74 people were waiting in the emergency department, 17 of whom were waiting to see a doctor. On January 24, the average waiting time in the ER was 2 hours 51 minutes.For patients on stretchers, it was 36 hours and 35 minutes.Of the 32 functional stretchers, 52 were occupied, 32 for more than 24 hours and 16 for more than 48 hours.

At Lakeshore General Hospital in Pointe-Claire, the situation is not much better, with an occupancy rate of 158%. According to the latest data, 66 people are in emergency and 7 are waiting to see a doctor.  As of January 24, the average waiting time was 4 hours and 56 minutes.For those on stretchers, it was 30 hours and 29 minutes.A total of 49 patients were on stretchers, 18 for more than 24 hours and 11 for more than 48 hours.

Other solutions to the emergency

The ER may not be the best place to get rapid care. To find out about alternatives, visit urgencesoupas.ca, which will guide you to the resource best suited to your health problem. 

In fact, there are several alternatives to hospital emergency rooms in Vaudreuil-Soulanges.

When in doubt about your health, here are 5 easy steps to take before going to the emergency room:  

Call Info-Santé 8-1-1, a resource available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.A nurse will be able to give you specific advice about your situation.She can also tell you whether or not you should see a doctor right away.See your pharmacist, who can also advise you on what to do by asking you questions about your general state of health.

Ask your family doctor for a consultation, if you have one. If your doctor or another in his or her group can't see you quickly, he or she may be able to refer you to another clinic nearby.

Visit the Portail santé mieux-être to book an appointment near you with a family medicine group (GMF) or a GMF-Réseau (GMF-R Vaudreuil-Dorion, or GMF-R des Trois-Lacs ) that offer walk-in consultations.

Consult a winter clinic that offers extra availability to treat non-urgent health problems during winter, a time of year when certain viruses circulate.