What to know about the inquest proceedings on Friday
The inquest into the death of Heather Winterstein saw video on Friday from the hospital emergency department’s waiting area in her final hours.
Security camera footage showed the 24-year-old in a wheelchair at the hospital in St. Catharines, Ont., on Dec. 10, 2021. While waiting to be seen by a doctor, she was struggling to make herself comfortable before collapsing onto the floor of the busy waiting room.
Presiding inquest officer Dr. David Eden said the videos “are tough to watch.”
The footage showed Winterstein trying to get out of her wheelchair and shuffling to get to a chair or lie on the floor. Staff and others walked by, with some stopping to talk to her. Minutes after she collapsed, Winterstein was taken on a gurney to get care. She died a few hours later.
Winterstein was transported to the hospital by ambulance twice over two days for body pain from a fall. The day before she died, she was released after she was given Tylenol and told to return if she got worse.
A key witness on Friday was Ryan Pearson, commander of regulatory compliance with Niagara Emergency Medical Services.
He was questioned on his investigation into the way paramedics treated Winterstein.
One report noted that on Dec. 10, 2021, paramedics didn’t take Winterstein’s vital signs for 25 minutes after arriving at her home, and they had her walk under her own power down stairs and to the ambulance. Pearson said those actions didn’t meet standards.
His report also said “the allegations relating to discrimination of the patient by the EMS crew remain unsubstantiated.”
Pearson said there might have been “potential tunnel vision” by the lead paramedic the day Winterstein died, linked to the hospital’s assessment of her condition a day earlier. He said information that Winterstein had grey skin, rapid breathing and slowed speech wasn’t passed on to paramedics.
Whether bias or discrimination played a role in Winterstein’s care, in many areas of the medical system, has been a focus during witness questioning.
Dr. Suzanne Shoush, an expert witness, testified previously that Indigenous patients who use drugs likely face layers of “bias” and “stigma” in the health-care system.
The inquest, which is being held virtually, continues Monday at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Read the full article here