With the flu season well underway and an increasing number of cases of COVID-19, waiting times in Quebec's emergency departments are out of control. 

Suroît Hospital is no exception, with an average waiting time of 6h07.

At the time of writing, the Index Santé platform indicated that 86 people were waiting in the emergency department. Of these, only 14 were waiting to see a doctor. 

The stretcher occupancy rate was 191%, with a total of 61 stretchers occupied out of the 32 said to be functional. Nearly 30 patients had been on stretchers for more than 24 hours, and nine for more than 48 hours. The average waiting time on stretchers was over 29 hours. 

For those tempted to head to Lakeshore General Hospital, the situation is not much better. 

The average length of stay for people in the waiting room was 9.10 hours. 67 people were waiting in the emergency room, and of these, 14 were waiting to see a doctor.

The stretcher occupancy rate was 129%, with 40 stretchers occupied out of the 31 said to be functional.

Emergency is not always the answer

If you're suffering from a less urgent health problem, or one that doesn't require immediate attention, why take the chance of waiting several hours in the emergency room, when there are other options? In addition to helping to relieve emergency room congestion, the health problem may well be treated more quickly. 

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 guide you in the right course of action by asking you questions about your general state of health.
Ask for a consultation with your family doctor, 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, which offers additional availability to treat non-urgent health problems during the winter, a time of year when certain viruses circulate. You can consult the schedule on our website.
Only go to hospital emergency rooms in the event of serious complications.