Beds full, Shawville ER backs up
Tashi Farmilo
Local Journalism Initiative
Published in the Pontiac Journal on May 21, 2025.
SHAWVILLE – Wait times in the Pontiac Community Hospital’s (PCH) emergency room have increased significantly over the past year, making it the only hospital in the Outaouais to see a decline in its overall emergency care performance. PCH’s overall rating dropped from B- to C.
According to CISSS de l’Outaouais data, the average time patients spent on a stretcher while waiting for bed in the Pontiac rose to 17 hours in 2024–2025, compared to just
7 hours the previous year. The proportion of patients remaining on stretchers for more
than 48 hours also increased sharply, rising from 1.5% to 6.2%.
This trend stands in contrast to improvements reported in other regional hospitals. Facilities in Hull, Gatineau, Wakefield, and Papineau saw modest gains, including reduced stretcher wait times and improved scores in emergency performance.
A number of factors contribute to longer delays at the PCH. Pontiac ER traffic has nearly doubled in five years — from 527 users in 2020–2021 to 935 in 2024–2025. While some
of the increase reflects local need, part of the demand is from residents of urban centres. According to CISSSO, patients sometimes seek care in rural hospitals to avoid longer waits closer to home.
Bed availability is another ongoing concern. Of the PCH’s 33 active care beds, 14 are currently occupied by patients waiting to be transferred to other levels of care. This shortage of available beds creates a backlog in the emergency room, as new patients cannot be admitted until others are moved.
The region’s aging population adds to the pressure. Older patients often require more complex and longer-term care. At the same time, long-term care placements remain limited, with not enough spaces in seniors’ residences or intermediate care facilities
to meet growing demand.
CISSSO says efforts are ongoing to improve patient flow and reduce pressure on emergency rooms. These include tools for monitoring hospital stays and initiatives
focused on early discharge planning.
Meanwhile, outpatient visits across all six hospitals in the region rose by about 6% last year, reaching more than 103,000 in total. Despite the higher volume, four of the six hospitals improved their emergency department performance, which CISSSO attributed to the work of local care teams and system-wide efforts.
Pontiac MNA André Fortin is concerned about the growing gap in care between rural and urban communities. He pointed to factors like staffing shortages and insufficient access to clinics as reasons more patients are pushed into emergency departments. He reiterated his call for increased health funding in the region and salary parity with Ontario to help recruit and retain healthcare professionals.
