Emergency Department (ED) / Alternate Level of Care (ALC)

Ranked one of the top performing LHINs in the province for Emergency Room (ER) wait times, the NE LHIN recognizes that on-going efforts are needed to improve the amount of time people in Northeastern Ontario wait in their local hospital emergency department.

Getting people discharged from the hospital faster and into a more appropriate setting of care is what drives the NE LHIN’s ER/ALC strategy.

Within Northeastern Ontario, it is anticipated that the current 17% of the population age 65 and over will almost double by 2030 to 30%.

ER wait times and alternate level of care (ALC) pressures are closely linked – they both relate to the flow of people in and out of hospitals and they impact one another. For this reason, the NE LHIN has been working full steam on its own ED/ALC strategy which focuses on two key areas:

1. Enhancing health care resources and capacity to better manage the gridlocks and ease the flow of patients; and
2. Improving health care programs and processes so that patients receive the care they need quickly and in the most appropriate place – which may not be the hospital.

Engaging with Communities to Find ALC Solutions

ALC refers to people, most often elderly, who stay in a hospital bed after their acute care episode while awaiting placement to a more appropriate setting, such as supportive housing, long-term care or home with care support, to name a few.

Reducing emergency department wait times and bringing down ALC numbers in the interest of better patient care is driving the work of the North East LHIN and community steering groups across the region.

For more information on how the NE LHIN is engaging with community leaders on ALC solutions, please visit the web page of one of the following community Groups:

• Sudbury ALC Community Steering Group
• Sault Ste. Marie ALC Solutions Group
• Parry Sound Solutions Workgroup 
• Nipissing ALC Partnership