An Airdrie mother said she’s appalled she had to resort to calling 911 herself after she took her critically ill toddler to Airdrie Urgent Care Centre (AUCC).
Kristina McGuire took her son Sam, 2, to the facility on Feb. 17 after he spiked a dangerously high fever. She said she initially called Sam’s cardiology nurse at the Alberta Children’s Hospital (ACH), who advised her to bring him in for monitoring. However, not long after getting Sam into her vehicle, McGuire said he became extremely lethargic and was turning blue. At that point, she decided to divert to AUCC.
“I assumed they’d be able to help him,” she said. “They were scrambling and didn’t know what to do. I’m a nurse. I’ve been in this situation on both sides of the bed and (what happened) is not acceptable in any way, shape or form.”
Sam was born with a congenital heart condition known as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, which means the left side of his heart is severely underdeveloped. He can decompensate very quickly. McGuire said trips to the hospital with Sam are not unusual.
“I can tell what’s happening with him. I knew he needed oxygen and possibly an IV,” she said. “(AUCC) couldn’t get a saturation on him. They didn’t even attempt a blood pressure. The doctor wasn’t taking my history or anything like that.”
After approximately 25 minutes at AUCC, McGuire said a nurse came into the room and asked how Sam was. At that point, McGuire said she found out an ambulance had yet to be called. The nurse suggested McGuire call 911 herself, which she did.
Paramedics arrived within five minutes and transported Sam to ACH where he was taken to the intensive care unit and stabilized.
McGuire said she was horrified when she later discovered AUCC’s patient record indicated she had refused care for Sam.
“That makes me livid. There’s implied consent. If I walk in that door, I want help,” she said.
McGuire said she filed a complaint with Alberta Health Services (AHS) Patient Relations and received an apology from the unit manager at AUCC but no assurances something similar wouldn’t happen again.
“People (in Airdrie) don’t realize that there are limitations to what urgent care can do,” she said. “I know that Sam doesn’t go there (because his condition is too complex) but I needed (them) and (they) couldn’t even provide us with a basic level of care.
“What about other people that walk through the door? If (AUCC) is wanting to be a 24-hour urgent care facility, then they need to ensure they have the staff who are able to handle whatever walks through that door.”
Chair of the Airdrie Health Foundation (AHF) Michelle Bates said, “It saddens me to hear this story, as there could have been such a different outcome for Sam and his family. Patients need to advocate for themselves and it is important to report situations that cause them concern, so things will change. This should never have happened.”
Patient Relations told McGuire they would follow up with her but she said she did not hear anything for three weeks after filing the complaint, when Director, North Community and Rural Health with AHS Marilyn McGregor, called April 11. McGuire said she met with McGregor April 27. The outcome of that meeting was not known by press time.
McGregor declined a request for an interview, referring the matter to AHS media relations.
According to a statement from Dr. Sid Viner, acting zone medical director, Calgary Zone, AHS takes patient concerns “very seriously” and is “committed to following up and investigating.”
“Patients are assessed and triaged when they present at emergency or urgent care,” he said in the statement.
“Following assessment, a course of treatment or care plan is developed and acted upon. This may involve immediate interventions or could include transfer to another area or facility for specialized care. These decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.”
According to the statement, AHS is investigating McGuire’s complaint.
McGuire said she will file a complaint with the Alberta College of Physicians and Surgeons about the conduct of the AUCC doctor who was in charge of her son’s case.
“I couldn’t look anyone in the eye as we walked out of the AUCC that day,” she said. “I was so disgusted. They had let my son down in the worst way.”
