A Terrace senior in need of urgent medical treatment is being transferred today to University Hospital of Northern British Columbia (UHNBC) in Prince George, the Northern Health Authority has confirmed.
Family confirmed that Sheri Onstein鈥檚 medevac plane was landing just before noon on Friday after the 82-year-old former nurse suffering from a post surgery infection had her transport postponed several times.
Northern Health spokesperson Eryn Collins told The Terrace Standard Friday morning that UHNBC has the capacity and the patient transfer is 鈥渘ow occurring.鈥�
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Family said Onstein underwent an operation on her foot in Prince George after a Sept. 2 car accident and was sent back to Mills Memorial Hospital Sept. 14 to recover.
But family members said they were told on Sept. 21 that the infection resulted in a 鈥渓ife or limb鈥� situation and there would be a high-priority medevac to Prince George.
Just before midnight the evening of Sept. 21, daughter Rebecca Onstein said the family was told she would no longer be leaving Terrace 鈥渆ven though her condition had only gotten worse.鈥�
She said the family was then told the medevac would happen the next morning but were again let down. Rebecca鈥檚 sister, Rachel, having made the more than six-hour drive to Prince George in advance, was left waiting.
Collins said hospitals across B.C. are 鈥渆xperiencing similar things鈥� but the patient transfer process depends on the level of care the patient requires.
鈥淚t does (also) depend on the availability of an appropriate bed and a receiving physician.鈥�
She said it happens that patient transport can be delayed 鈥渁s the direct result鈥� of clinical factors like the level of care needed, availability of an appropriate bed, the patient鈥檚 condition and whether it could be impacted by a transfer, adding that patients continue to receive care throughout.
鈥淧atient transfer status is determined by physicians, based on the patient鈥檚 clinical presentation and condition,鈥� Collins said, adding that Northern Health takes patient and family concerns about care seriously.
Sheri鈥檚 son-in-law Bob Costain said Friday that the family is feeling much better knowing Sheri is on her way to Prince George but it鈥檚 just the beginning of a process that will take months.
鈥淭he plane has landed and they鈥檙e just making arraignments to get her on the flight right now. She鈥檚 going to have a long haul ahead. It鈥檚 scary but she鈥檚 pretty tough so hopefully she does well.
鈥淏ut that doesn鈥檛 solve the bigger problem that there are several other patients also waiting here right now. There鈥檚 still a backlog of patients to get out. But we鈥檙e glad that Sheri鈥檚 on the flight right now, absolutely.
鈥淲e need to improve this process. There鈥檚 patients who are not getting proper care 鈥� there鈥檚 patients who are dying because they are not getting proper care right now.鈥�
Sheri鈥檚 granddaughter flew with her on the plane to Prince George and Rachel, who has been waiting there since making the drive, was able to greet her when she arrived.
Do you have a comment about this story? email:
michael.willcock@terracestandard.com
