The daughter of a Sault Ste. Marie man is deeply concerned over how long it took to have him flown down south to undergo surgery after suffering a heart attack.
Valerie Morgan told SooToday that her father, Robert Morgan, waited over a week to be transported by air to St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto to have surgery performed on a severely blocked artery.
The 80-year-old man has been waiting to be transferred from Sault Area Hospital, where he was admitted on Boxing Day after experiencing a heart attack while walking his dog.
“He needs the surgery or he won’t live,” Valerie said.
“He can only walk from the bathroom to his bed. That’s it — he can’t do anything else.”
On Dec. 28, Robert was placed on a wait list for a flight with Ornge, which provides medical transport and air ambulance service to people who are critically ill or injured in Ontario.
A flight was scheduled for Dec. 30, but Valerie told SooToday that it was cancelled due to high winds and blowing snow throughout parts of the province.
She was later informed that Ornge was unable to land at Sault Ste. Marie Airport for three consecutive days because of inclement weather.
“He had a bed at St. Michael’s — but as soon as the flight is cancelled, his bed is cancelled,” Valerie said.
Another Ornge flight for Robert was booked for this past Sunday, but his daughter said it was abruptly postponed to transport a patient who was dying after going into cardiac arrest.
Valerie said her mother had her luggage packed, ready to travel down to Toronto alongside her husband.
While speaking with SooToday yesterday, Valerie received a message indicating that her father had boarded a flight and was en route to St. Michael’s.
Now, she’s not only left to worry for her elderly father’s well-being, but for others in the Sault who need to be flown out of town for specialized medical treatment.
Valerie added that while both Sudbury and Timmins have Ornge bases in their regions, Sault Ste. Marie does not.
“I know we have cardiac people here, but not cardiac surgeons. So, if anything happens to your heart in the Sault, and there’s no Ornge and there’s no flight, you die,” said Valerie.
“That’s as simple as it is — which is terrifying when you think about it.”
Valerie said Ornge is looking into the flight delays after she lodged a complaint.
“The more complaints we have, the better it is for us in the long run to hopefully get an Ornge here,” she said.
For now, Valerie and her three siblings are hoping for the best for their father, who required surgery to unblock his left artery.
“There has to be an answer better than this . . . there has to be,” Valerie said.
“Living in the north should not mean you’re penalized.”
A spokesperson for Ornge told SooToday that it delivers air ambulance and critical care transport services based on a triage model similar to hospitals and other health-care providers.
“However, there are several additional factors which play a role in our ability to transport patients safely and expeditiously including weather, call volume and bed availability,” said Joshua McNamara, corporate communications lead at Ornge.
“Significant snowfall in northern Ontario in recent weeks has contributed to transport delays and increased volume.
“We make every effort to transport patients when safe to do so and evaluate all possible options for transport, including by land where appropriate.”
Sault Area Hospital communications director Brandy Sharp Young said the hospital works closely with Ornge to ensure safe and efficient transportation for patients requiring care outside of its facility.
Patient transfers are coordinated through CritiCall Ontario, Sharp Young added, using a triage model “that aligns with provincial standards and the clinical needs of each patient.”
“The timing of patient transport can be affected by a variety of factors, including weather conditions, call volume and the availability of specialized beds at receiving hospitals,” Sharp Young said in an email to SooToday.
“SAH collaborates with Ornge and CritiCall to assess all appropriate transport options.
“While timing can occasionally present operational considerations, hospital operations are not typically significantly impacted, and patient care and safety remain central to our approach.”
Ornge performs roughly 20,000 patient-related transports by both land and air in Ontario each year, according to their website.