Pilot project allows some Sault patients to wait at home for ER spot

By Cory Nordstrom

Updated: August 28, 2025 at 9:47 AM EDT

Sault Area Hospital has launched a new pilot program designed to reduce crowding in its emergency department by allowing patients with non-urgent conditions to wait at home.

Dubbed the Virtual Home Waiting Room, the initiative aims to improve the patient experience and increase departmental efficiency by scheduling arrival times for those with minor ailments.

A better experience for patients and staff

The program allows patients to register online and join a virtual queue, receiving text updates until they are notified to come to the hospital.

“By having them come when we have the resources and space to take care of them properly, it is better for patients, better for the staff and better for the overall care they receive,” said Dr. Stephen Smith, an emergency department physician and the hospital’s vice-president of medical affairs.

Smith said the unpredictable nature of emergency care often leads to long waits for those with less severe issues.

“The emergency room is a very unpredictable environment, and our priority is, of course, always the highest acuity patients,” he said.

“We don’t want low-acuity patients to have to wait a large amount of time in our waiting rooms because they can be very crowded -- and crowding, of course, as we know from the pandemic, can lead to a greater risk for infection and also decreases patient satisfaction and reduces our overall efficiency.”

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