Temporary 40-bed unit at Civic hospital opens

The temporary 40-bed unit attached to the emergency department of The Ottawa Hospital's Civic campus is now up and running.

The Ottawa Hospital said last fall that the unit,called the offload medicine transition unit,wasexpected to help alleviate the strain on the city's paramedics,who are routinelystuck for hours transferring patientsto hospital staff andkeeping them from answeringother emergencies.

At times, there isn't a single available ambulance to respond to a 911 call, also knownas "level zero."

On Wednesday, the hospital said the temporary unit is ready for patient care.

It will also help decrease wait times for patients and help them spend less time in the ER before being admitted, the hospital said.

The unit is in the east parking lot of the Civic, bordering Carling and Melrose avenues.