Island Health is working with hotels in Nanaimo to relocate patients who are ready to be discharged, but are without homes.
About six to 10 patients in acute-care hospital beds at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital are considered homeless or hard to house.
鈥淪ome patients who no longer require acute care, still need community health-care services following discharge,鈥� Island Health said in a statement.
鈥淐omplex, hard-to-house patients 鈥� who are ready to be discharged, may have no safe place to go,鈥� said the health authority.
Island Health said it is exploring options with hotels, 鈥渁s has been done in other communities, to provide a place for these patients to receive the community care they need while we work to find longer term community solutions.鈥�
The pressure on hospital beds has increased under a drive to catch up on surgeries postponed during the height of the pandemic and a need to have beds available for possible COVID-19 admissions.