February 26, 2024
The regional health authority set a target of reducing its ALC beds to less than 330 or less than 20% of all Horizon hospital beds by Jan. 2026. Horizon says if that goal is reached, ER patients won’t have to wait to be admitted and surgeries wouldn’t be cancelled due to bed shortages. As of Jan. 31, Horizon had 559 hospital beds (a third of its beds) devoted to ALC patients. That’s down from a seven-year high of 607 back in Oct. 2023, but nowhere near the low of 373 back in Apr. 2020. More than 50 per cent of ALC patients are waiting for placements either in nursing homes or other care facilities.
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