B.C. woman who suffered stroke waited over an hour for an ambulance. Now she's partially paralyzed
CBC
This story is part of Situation Critical, a series from CBC British Columbia reporting on the barriers people in this province face in accessing timely and appropriate health care.
The family of a woman who was left paralyzed after suffering a stroke are asking for answers as to why she waited more than an hour for an ambulance to take her to the hospital.
Former New Westminster city councillor Lorrie Williams has been at Royal Columbian Hospital since Aug. 6.
Her brother, Allan Greenwood, is angry at the delay in transporting her to the hospital which he believes is responsible for her partial paralysis.
"Next to a heart attack stroke is the thing where you [have] to act quick and there's brain cells dying every second," he said.
"Now she's in a hospital bed and she's partially paralyzed and we don't know the outcome."
Williams was with a friend, who is a retired doctor, when she suffered the stroke.
CBC News spoke with the friend, who did not want to be interviewed on camera but provided details about how events unfolded.
The friend, who was staying with Williams, says the retired city councillor was sitting on the couch when the friend noticed her speech became slurred.
When she turned back, the friend saw that Williams' face was drooping and her body was swaying to the left so she grabbed her by the shoulders and said, "Lorrie, you're having a stroke." The friend called 911 immediately.
Over the next hour and a half, Williams lay on the floor as the friend and two neighbours tried to comfort her and manage her symptoms.
The friend says they called 911 repeatedly to get an ambulance and were told it was on its way.
In an emailed statement to CBC News, B.C. Emergency Health Services (EHS) confirmed they received a call at 8:09 p.m. to respond to a patient in New Westminster in the 400-block of Kelly Street, where Williams lives.
It said at the time, many paramedics were responding to other urgent medical emergencies in the area and the first ambulance that became available was dispatched.
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