Hospitals rally — And calls go out for Mandarin speakers

When the Queensway Carleton Hospital received word on Monday that 20 injured Chinese tourists whose bus had crashed near Prescott would arrive soon, the entire staff sprang into action.

An announcement was broadcast across the hospital asking for volunteers who spoke Cantonese or Mandarin. Doctors, nurses, a psychiatrist, a cleaner, and a member of the IT staff all jumped in to act as translators, said hospital spokesperson Ann Fuller.

A paramedic who happened to be at the hospital even called his mom, who spoke Mandarin. She quickly arrived too, said Fuller.

The Queensway Carleton was one of several hospitals scrambling after the crash not just to provide medical care, but to do so in Mandarin, the language spoken by the 37 tourists on the bus.

One of the passengers spoke fluent English, and was able to help translate at the crash scene, said a spokesperson for the ambulance service in the United Counties of Leeds & Grenville.

Fuller said the Queensway Carleton Hospital can often find translators among its own staff, who speak a variety of languages. The hospital also uses a service that provides translation by phone and another service that sends an interpreter in person for more complicated cases.

But given the urgency of the situation and the number of people arriving, it was decided to appeal for help within the hospital first, she said.

Five volunteers also arrived from the Ottawa Chinese Bible Church. Members of the church heard about the crash and phoned to offer their service as translators, said Fuller.

The Queensway Carleton is used to having a busy emergency room, but handling 20 people at once is a challenge, she said. However, a medical staff meeting was being held at the hospital Monday afternoon, so there were plenty of doctors around, she said. “That was really lucky.”

As it turned out, 18 of the 20 buscrash victims who were treated for various injuries, such as broken bones and cuts, were released Monday night. The other two people were transferred to The Ottawa Hospital for care.

In Kemptville, the 40-bed community hospital isn’t set up for trauma care, but took some of the less seriously injured passengers, said Jenny Read, Kemptville District Hospital’s communications and patient relations officer.

“Eight people coming in at once is a lot,” she said. “We’re small but there’s kind of a community feeling here. Everybody just pitched in and did whatever was needed.”

There was only one doctor working in the emergency department on Monday afternoon, she said. The hospital’s chief of emergency was called in, and he brought two other doctors with him, since they all work in the same family practice a five-minute drive away. One of the doctors spoke Cantonese, but “could get by in Mandarin,” said Read.

The hospital also called in an interpreter who spoke Mandarin, Read said. The hospital has a contract with an interpretation service.

“It all worked out really well.” Seven of the eight patients were released from hospital within a few hours. Read didn’t have details about their injuries. The eighth patient was transferred to the Brockville General Hospital.

The Brockville General Hospital received five patients. The hospital pulled physicians and staff from other areas of the hospital to help, including Dr. Helen Hsu, who is fluent in Mandarin.

Hsu was able to speak to the one patient who was conscious when they arrived, said hospital spokesperson Abby McIntyre.

Three of the crash victims were transferred to the Kingston Health Sciences Centre to receive specialty care. One remained at Brockville hospital with critical and life-threatening injuries, and one remained in stable condition.