Submitted by Norma Ferguson.

I never believed it could happen. The ambulance drive got lost TWICE on the way OUT from the cottage to the 400! He ended up at dead ends and had to find a way to turn around!

We have two blue 911 signs to make sure emergency vehicles can find our cottage quickly, but that’s just solves half the problem. They have to find their way out!

When my brother, David, visited for the us at the cottage for first time, he had a stroke. 911 sent an ambulance which arrived in 1/2 hour from Mactier. The driver turned the wrong way out of our driveway, ended up leaving our road, Berwick Road, and going onto Pond Road which is a dead end.

He found a way to turn around and get back onto Berwick Road. Then at Bayview and Muskoka Road 33, South Gibson Lake Road, he turned east, away from the 400, and went to the end of the road where he again turned around. It added an extra 10 to 15 minutes to the drive to Midland.

My sister-in-law was in the passenger seat, and the driver expected her to direct him. She was of no help, never having been our cottage before. We followed the ambulance, leaving about 15 minutes later. We arrived at the hospital at same time as the ambulance.

When I questioned the driver, he said he had been provided with no map nor print-out of directions, and had no written notes. After he got the call, he just drove to the cottage using his head. He admitted he often got turned around on cottage roads, but that the extra few minutes hadn’t made any difference, so it should be of no concern.

This IS a concern. We are on a clearly marked, year-round township road, not a season private road. There are three intersections from our cottage to the 400 entrance ramp, and he got two of them wrong. This ambulance came from Mactier which is in Cottage Country. We plan to retire here in a few years.

The next week I made up three signs to direct drivers to the 400 and clearly mounted them on trees. Unfortunately, they won’t be of any help at night.

A neighbour rightly pointed out that there was no guarantee that the ambulance driver didn’t get lost on his way to the cottage.

One further concern, is that the ambulance driver did not alert the Huronia District Hospital as to their arrival and the condition of their patient. As a result, the hospital staff was not prepared to administer immediate assistance to a stroke victim.

What I can do to reduce the chance of this happening again? I have given this a lot of thought. I offer my plans to you, but you may have some additional ideas.
I offer these suggestions and the story as a way to deal better with medical emergencies and potential financial difficulties for out-of-country patients.

Preparation:

1. Make and place sufficient signs to direct the driver from your cottage to the main road and highway.
2. Maintain an unobstructed, firm, wide laneway to your cottage with clearly visible 911 signs and arrows wherever necessary.
3. Have a large turn-around area for the fire truck and ambulance that will come.
4. Get two 3 x 5 cards and write medical information on it for each person that usually stays at your cottage.
   After writing the information below on it, make it water-proof by taping it up or putting it in a zip-lock type bag.
   Put it in an accessible, known place.Include full name, age, birthdate, OHIP #, allergies, medical conditions, medications, eye care objects, dental objects, etc. any private insurance company, group and personal membership numbers.semi or private room coverage.addresses, phone numbers, home doctor’s name and city. Include the hospital’s name and phone number on it, too.

Strategy:

1. Park along the road just off the 400 exit in to your cottage and wait to lead the emergency vehicles in. It will take roughly 1/2 hour. Take a cell phone with you if possible. Find some identification on the ambulance and record it.
2. Lead the vehicles to the laneway. Wave the vehicles to go in first, ahead of you. Turn the car around, heading back out so the car is ready to lead them out to the 400.
3. Give a 3 x 5 card to the lead medical person on the site and instruct him/her to give it to the hospital emergency doctor upon arrival.
4. Have someone in the car ready to lead the ambulance to the 400. Once you’re sure they know where to go, you can go back and gather up the clan and the second 3 x 5 card.
5. Call the hospital to be sure the ambulance has called ahead. Use the ambulance identification information if you have any.
6. Upon arrival at the hospital, insist on seeing the doctor prior to submitting to any intake procedures. Intake can take as long as 20 minutes while the doctor is waiting to talk to you about the unconscious patient.
7. Give the second 3 x 5 card to the intake person for easier data entry.

So what happened to my brother? He had a complete recovery within 24 hours and was discharged. That’s when we learned a few things about insurance for people from out-of-country.

First of all, hospitals don’t honour their private medical insurance coverage. My brother, who lives in Colorado, is a international traveler by profession and has special, extraordinary coverage through his employer. It didn’t matter. In Ontario visitors pay for their hospital stay with their money when they leave. The hospital takes VISA. Ambulance, doctor, and other fees are billed separately.

While in hospital, my brother was scheduled for some tests at a private clinic. The clinic would take only cash. One test was $550.00. He decided to skip the tests in Midland and Toronto and consult his own doctor at home.

The stroke seems to have been a warning to him – and us. We are thankful that he has regained his speaking and has all abilities back….even his humour. I’m sure we’ll see him floating in Barefoot Bay again in a few years!