‘It’s just frustrating’: Buckland resident worried about homeless residents at Victoria Hospital
A local resident who frequently visits Victoria Hospital for treatment has raised concerns about what he says are the large number of homeless residents using the hospital for shelter.
Darby Symak travels from his home in the RM of Buckland three times a week for dialysis treatment at Victoria Hospital. He said he’s seeing more and more homeless residents at the hospital who are not there to receive treatment, and he’s concerned it’s creating an unhealthy environment for patients.
“It doesn’t happen all the time, but it does and it’s sickening,” Symak said. “The hospital is not a homeless shelter. It’s a care facility. It’s not meant to be housing homeless people. I’m sorry, it’s just the wrong place for it.”
While visiting the hospital for treatment, Symak said he’s witnessed homeless residents remove their shoes and socks to clean their feet in hospital waiting areas. He said many of the same people will then smoke outside, creating a health hazard for people there to seek treatment.
Symak said he raised his concerns with hospital security at the beginning of January. He was told they were looking into it, and there would be changes within 90 days.
He also attempted to raise the issue with Victoria Hospital staff and the Saskatchewan Health Association (SHA), but said he’s concerned they aren’t taking the issue seriously.
“The City of Prince Albert’s not responsible for it, and it seems like it’s the same ones who are there every time I go,” Symak said. “(It’s) the same people. (It’s) just frustrating.”
The Daily Herald contacted the SHA seeking more information about the hospital’s policy when dealing with homeless residents. An SHA spokesperson emailed a statement saying the SHA does not prevent non-patients from entering department or clinical waiting areas.
The spokesperson wrote that Victoria Hospital has staff who are “actively involved in discharge planning” for homeless residents who are patients. They are also make homeless patients “aware of community supports” like shelters, additions treatment options, or social services, and facilitates connections whenever appropriate before discharge.
The Daily Herald asked for an interview about homeless residents who are not patients, but the spokesperson wrote that the SHA did not have someone available.
Homeless residents at the hospital was a brief topic at the City of Prince Albert’s first homeless consultation meeting in January. Dr. Matt Parsons, the Chief of Emergency Medicine, and Dr. Francois Rossouw, the Head of Addictions Medicine both attended the meeting, but were not featured speakers.
During the question and answer portion, Parsons asked what the timetable was like for building a new homeless shelter. Prior to the question, he told those in attendance that the hospital deals with “issues related to addictions and homelessness quite a bit” and is “at times overwhelmed.”
The Daily Herald also reached out to Parkland Ambulance about the issue. A spokesperson said they have no way of knowing which residents they see at the hospital are homeless or not, since it’s not something they regularly track.
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
