‘Why am I waiting so long?’: Family urges advocacy after mother dies following ER delays

The family of Stacey Ross says long emergency room delays contributed to her death and is calling for changes to the health care system.

A Winnipeg woman says her mother would still be alive today if she hadn’t waited hours for care at a city emergency room, a case now under review by health officials as concerns mount over long hospital wait times across Canada.

Jan. 15 was a day Morgan Ross will never forget.

It was the day she lost her mom, Stacey.

“She was more than a mom,” she said. “She was my best friend.”

Ross said her mother, who was 55, had not been feeling well throughout the month of December. She had gone to the doctors on three separate occasions, but nothing came of it.

On Jan. 4, Ross says her mother was experiencing severe chest pain and went to the emergency room at Winnipeg’s St. Boniface Hospital.

She says Stacey waited more than 12 hours before being told her sickness was a virus, and she was sent home.

But Stacey’s condition worsened, and she returned by ambulance to the same hospital on Jan. 15, waiting over 11 more hours before being admitted.

“Around 11 o’clock at night, the hospital called my aunt, and they told us to come down because things weren’t looking good,” Ross said.

A CT scan revealed pneumonia in Stacey’s lungs. Shortly after, she went into cardiac arrest and died.

“It was horrible. I didn’t believe it at first, but once they really talk about it more, I ran out of the room and just cried. I couldn’t even breathe,” Ross said. “We got to say our goodbyes, but it was really hard.”

Ross said they are still waiting to hear back from the medical examiner about the cause of death, but she believes her mother would still be alive if she didn’t have to wait so long to seek help.

“I believe I could still have a mother, a role-model in my life if she was seen sooner,” she said.

Health authorities reviewing case

A spokesperson with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, which oversees St. Boniface Hospital, said their patient safety team is “reviewing the circumstances surrounding this event to determine whether it meets the criteria for a critical incident.”

They aren’t able to provide further details on the case due to patient privacy laws, but the spokesperson did say the health authority is addressing concerns, like patient flow as a top priority.

“The provincial Lower Wait Times and System Improvement Team is working to improve how patients move through hospital care, including faster discharges from inpatient units, earlier clinical assessment through coordinated triage, and expanded care options outside of hospital so patients can recover safely at home,” the statement reads.

Manitoba’s Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara also confirmed the case is being reviewed and that the patient relations team has been in contact with the family.

“This is an incredibly difficult time, and my thoughts are with everyone affected,” a satement said. “We will keep doing the work, alongside front-line staff, to build a stronger, more responsive health-care system.”

Family says the situation should never have happened

Stacey’s sister, Sherri Ross, says the situation should never have happened.

“This is ridiculous,” she said. “For somebody to sit in the waiting room for 12 hours and then die two hours later after being seen is ridiculous. This is a 55-year-old woman who still should be here for her daughter.”

Sherri said it’s important for people to advocate for themselves, especially when in a desperate situation.

“If you’re sitting there for that long, you go up and you say, ‘why am I waiting so long?’ she said. “Talk to them and make yourself heard.”

Stacey’s best friend, Debra Kofsky, agrees.

“It was really sad to watch somebody regress. She did everything right. That’s the part where I would say to people is if you’re in this situation, have somebody with you to advocate,” she said.

“I don’t know what more we could possibly do from our end as patients,” she said.

A national problem

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) acknowledges that long hospital wait times remain a serious concern across the country.

Dr. Margot Burnell, the CMA’s president, said the problem is complex, involving both access to primary care and overall flow through the health system. She adds that the solution lies in letting emergency departments identify what works best locally.

Long emergency room wait times reflect broader gaps in the health-care system, including difficulty accessing family doctors, primary care teams and after-hours care, leaving patients with few options before turning to the emergency department, Burnell said.

“It is a flow problem through the whole health-care system,” she said, adding that each part needs to be examined and improved to move patients through care more effectively.