A Sudbury family is sharing their story after recently experiencing hallway health care at Health Sciences North. After spending 11 days in a room, Monique Sullivan, a Sudbury patient, said she was moved to a hallway with no privacy, even for going to the bathroom. HSN told CTV News that it recognizes how difficult and upsetting it is when care is provided in unconventional spaces, but given space limitations, it has no choice. The family showed a picture of the hallway at HSN that Sullivan said she was moved to. You can see a portable toilet in the corner. “I said to the nurse (that) I am not staying in the hallway with a commode,” she told CTV News. “I didn’t even have access to water. I have Crohn’s, so I need a bathroom and have access to water.” Sullivan said her ordeal started Oct. 2 when she was taken by ambulance to HSN with a severe headache and memory loss. She spent 11 days in a hospital room but was then moved to the hallway. “And they said that I was the one (who was the least) sick on the floor. And I made a few calls to my family and I started crying,” she said. Her sister, Denise Brunette, said the situation also brought her to tears. “The lack of privacy if she needed to go to the bathroom -- there are no curtains around her,” Brunette said. “There is a main door to go down the stairs right beside her.” Frustrated and refusing to stay in the hallway, Sullivan checked herself out of the HSN that day. In a statement, HSN spokesperson Jason Turnbull said, in part, that the hospital acknowledges how “difficult and upsetting it can be for patients and families when care must be provided in a hallway, lounge, tub room or long-term care home.” “The reality is we are over 100 per cent capacity every day and see more than 100 patients in unconventional spaces every day,” Turnbull said. “This is why we continue to advocate for our hospital expansion, which will create more space for patients and help us provide the safe, private and dignified care they deserve.” Sullivan said she is still waiting for a diagnosis, but is relieved her speech is slowly coming back. Sullivan and her family said they want to acknowledge the excellent care she received from the nurses at HSN. However, they have contacted the hospital to make a formal complaint about hallway care. They are awaiting a response.
