Visiting Guidelines

To help us better assess your medical history; please remember to always bring a listing of: Medications you are currently taking, including all prescription, non-prescription and herbal remedies. Please indicate drug name, dosage and how often you are taking it. List of known allergies (including any to medication) Medical history (heart disease, diabetes, etc.) If you are bringing a child in, please remember to bring along diapers and your child’s favourite toy or activity books and snacks.

The Emergency Department does not operate on a first come, first serve basis. Patients are seen according to the seriousness of their medical problem and critically ill patients are always seen first.

Your treatment in the Emergency Department may take several hours depending on the following: Whether or not tests are required You may have to wait for test results. The emergency physician may need to consult with a specialist. If you required admission to the hospital, a bed will be arranged. Because this is an emergency admission and not a scheduled one, a bed may not be immediately available.

The WNGH Emergency Department is staffed at all times by specially trained emergency physicians and nurses. During your visit, you will be seen by our team of health care professionals. The WNGH is affiliated with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine University, and our Emergency Department is an important learning site for Family Practice and Emergency Medicine Residents. All individuals in training are working under the close supervision of hospital staff and attending physicians, and will identify themselves to you as learners or medical residents.

The Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) is used following assessment to assign patients a triage level. This ensure that patients in critical condition are seen first. In simple terms, the sickest patients will be seen most quickly.

In a medical emergency, always call 911 immediately. If your problem is less urgent, there are other options available to ensure that you not only save time, but also get the care that you need. For less urgent problems, your first choice is to call your family doctor or nurse practitioner. If you do not presently have a family physician, you should take the time to register with Health Care Connect a program designed at finding you a family physician in your area. You can register by calling 1-800-455-1822 or online at www.ontario.ca/healthcareconnect You can also check with your local pharmacy regarding what conditions they can test and treat. Learn more For 24/7 access to non-urgent health care, call 8-1-1 or visit the Health811 website at health811.ontario.ca to chat online and find more information.