During a coroner’s inquest, representatives of Ornge, the air ambulance service in Ontario, stated that meeting the Ministry of Health’s timelines for transporting critically ill patients in northern regions remains unattainable, despite improvements in response times since 2021.
Chief operating officer Wade Durham and chief medical officer Dr. Bruce Sawadsky provided testimony at the inquest concerning the deaths of five individuals from Constance Lake First Nation due to blastomycosis, a fungal lung disease outbreak in 2021.
Luke Moore, 43, and Lizzie Sutherland, 56, passed away at Notre Dame hospital in Hearst while awaiting transfers to hospitals with better facilities, succumbing to blastomycosis.
Sawadsky clarified that according to the province’s policy, the most critical patients with life-threatening conditions should be picked up and transported to their destination within four hours, without the option to refuse care.
Despite Ornge’s diligent efforts, achieving this timeframe in northern Ontario is challenging due to extensive distances, Sawadsky acknowledged.
He revealed that in 2021, at the time of the outbreak, it took around five hours to have an air ambulance reach a critically ill patient in northern areas like Hearst, but this has improved to just under four hours in most instances.
This duration does not encompass the additional time required to transport the patient to their final destination for specialized care.
Moreover, adverse weather conditions can hinder prompt access to patients, as witnessed in Moore’s case.
On the late afternoon of Nov. 18, 2021, medical professionals at Hearst hospital identified Moore as critically ill and urgently requiring transportation by Ornge to Health Sciences North (HSN) in Sudbury.
However, the nearest base in Timmins informed that landing at Hearst’s airport was unfeasible due to snow on the runway, high crosswinds, and the absence of de-icing equipment.
Durham explained that even if the runway had been clear and de-icing equipment available, the crosswinds would have prevented a safe landing.
Additionally, a helicopter in Sudbury couldn’t operate due to poor visibility, especially avoiding flying through clouds in winter to prevent ice accumulation.
Challenges Preventing Plane Landing Identified by Ornge
Subsequent weather checks in Hearst confirmed adverse conditions, leading pilots to decline the transfer around 8:40 p.m., with similar conditions reported by Thunder Bay base pilots around midnight.
The slippery runway and high crosswinds persisted, discouraging any attempts for transfer.
Sawadsky mentioned that the notion of transferring Moore by ambulance to Kapuskasing, where conditions were more favorable, was dismissed due to the critical condition of the patient and uncertainties regarding safe takeoff in the prevailing weather.
With improved weather conditions the following morning, pilots awaited confirmation of cleared runways by 10 a.m., but tragically, Moore passed away around 9 a.m. while awaiting clearance.
The limitations such as single runways, lack of de-icing equipment, and inconsistent runway clearance standards are prevalent at several airports across northern Ontario, as highlighted by Sawadsky.
Later that day, Sawadsky noted a smoother process for Lorraine Shaganash, who was rapidly airlifted to HSN in Sudbury within six hours of being identified as critically ill.
However, despite prompt response, Shaganash passed away the following day, on Nov. 20.
