‘He just had no privacy whatsoever,’ said Walter Chikoski’s son, Michael. ‘He basically didn\u2019t want to live’<\/p>\n
For several days, Walter Chikoski laid on a stretcher in the emergency department hallway.<\/p>\n
The 94-year-old lives with prostate cancer and went to Sault Area Hospital with an infection\u00a0last Monday morning, but he wouldn\u2019t be admitted to an inpatient room until Thursday afternoon \u2013 nearly three-and-a-half days later.<\/p>\n
As nurses, doctors, and patients came and went, Chikoski’s spirits deteriorated\u00a0as his wait dragged on.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just had no privacy whatsoever,\u201d Chikoski\u2019s son, Michael, told Village Media.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe basically didn\u2019t want to live. Nobody should be in the hallway for three-and-a-half to four days. That’s crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Chikoski\u2019s lengthy experience with hallway health care sparked grave concern with his son, he\u2019s far from the only patient facing long wait times for a\u00a0room.<\/p>\n
His wait was more than double\u00a0the hospital\u2019s internal target to transfer nine out of 10 patients to an inpatient bed within 35 hours. Through the 2026-27 year, however, that figure ballooned to\u00a049.2 hours \u2013 over two days.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe elderly that come in or the children that come in, they have to be able to keep an eye on them instead of letting them fall through the cracks,\u201d Chikoski said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know they have to prioritize, but there’s got to be a better way of prioritizing.\u201d<\/p>\n
While officials say hallways and other unconventional spaces are never the preferred environments for care \u2013 and always meant to be temporary \u2013 elevated patient volumes have consistently pushed the hospital to its capacity and beyond in recent history.<\/p>\n
“Extended stays in Emergency Department hallways are not standard practice at Sault Area Hospital. They occur only when the hospital is operating at full capacity, and no inpatient beds are immediately available,” said\u00a0Brandy Sharp Young, director of corporate affairs and patient engagement at Sault Area Hospital.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“While these situations do occur, they fluctuate based on daily demand and bed availability across the health-care system. We continuously monitor patient flow and adjust operations to minimize the need for hallway care whenever possible.”<\/p>\n
With an operating capacity of 305 patients for the 2026-27 year, Sault Area Hospital has averaged 295 patients through the year to date, with multiple days where patient volumes spike well above its intended capacity.<\/p>\n
This Monday, there were 313 patients at the hospital, and patient volumes have climbed even higher than that since the year began.<\/p>\n