“There was a fairly significant jump in the number and rate of ED (emergency department) visits that are really not attributable to anything other than avoidance of cold weather exposure that does point to a lack of community-based support,” said Lucie Richard, adjunct scientist and senior research associate at MAP, shared with The Hamilton Spectator.
ERs used as warming centres by Ontario’s homeless residents with nowhere else to go
Related:
- Patients experiencing homelessness in Toronto up to 18 times more likely to visit emergency departments for cold weather-related injuries, Unity Health study finds
- ‘A Band-Aid on top of a Band-Aid’: Winter-weather alerts are leaving vulnerable Ontarians out in the cold
- An explosion under the Bathurst Street bridge raises concerns about what’s being done to help the homeless stay warm this winter