Norfolk General Hospital can support up to 3,719 patients; the average patient stay is nearly eight days. It takes about five hours for the average patient to be admitted to the emergency room. 13% of the beds are located in private rooms where people with private health insurance usually get them.[4]
Services
Norfolk General Hospital is equipped with 106 beds[5] and a helipad.[6] Recent improvements include expansion of the emergency department[1] and installation of CT scan equipment.[7] Doctors with hospital privileges include specialists and surgeons.[8] The hospital also houses a nursing home for the elderly and the severely handicapped.
Recent economic problems have forced the hospital to close three beds,[9] making some nursing jobs redundant. A lack of demand, attributed to more seniors staying at home, was also cited as a reason for the closure.[9]
Helipad
The hospital is not equipped with a helipad near their site. Air ambulances land at the helipad on Hunt Street North (next to Anvil) and then travel east on Queensway West, south on Queen Street South and then west along West Street. The helipad is maintained by the Government of Ontario.
