HALIFAX – Amanda Simpson wants to see her newborn baby through Facetime on her iPhone, but she can’t because there is no Wi-Fi inside the Victoria General hospital.
Simpson has been in and out of hospital for chemotherapy since April after she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Simpson, who is active on Twitter and Facebook, said the time would pass by faster if she had Wi-Fi. She often feels lonely in the hospital and said being on social media helps her feel connected to her family, her friends and the outside world.
“It’s certainly a welcome distraction, especially when I’m here for long appointments,” she said.
She believes Capital Health needs to install Wi-Fi for the sake of their patients’ wellness.
It’s the same argument brought up by Brenden Sommerhalder. Last week, Sommerhalder was cycling when a car pulled out unexpectedly in front of him. He swerved to avoid the vehicle but fell, which fractured his rib and lacerated his kidney.
Sommerhalder spent four days recovering at the V.G. — time he found hard to pass without an internet connection. It was also frustrating for him to conduct his day-to-day activities.
“I had rent coming up, I had a little bit of online banking to do. I attempted to cancel a flight and cancel a ticket for an event I was supposed to go to,” he said.
Sommerhalder said he also needed the Internet to check his health plan and coverage for the hospital stay.
He’s a strong advocate of holistic healthcare and believes the lack of Internet is at odds with that.
“When you don’t have Internet, you feel disconnected from the world. That’s even worse so from the hospital,” he said.
“It can certainly sound like a first-world problem, asking for the Internet, but with such widespread access to the Internet, a lot of us have built a lot of aspects of our lives around that access.”
Capital Health began to offer Wi-Fi on the fourth floor of the Halifax Infirmary in May, but it comes at a cost — it cost approximately $45,000 to set up.
Shauna McMahon, director of technology and infrastructure renewal, said it would cost more than $700,000 to set up Wi-Fi at Capital Health hospitals in Halifax.
She said the cost of Wi-Fi in coffee shops or hotels are usually built into the price of the product, and because she works with taxpayer dollars, she can’t justify the cost of Wi-Fi for patients.
“Our funding comes from government and we’re asked to do the best we can with that money for patients. I think it’s more important to use tax dollars to save a life,” she said.
“You’re choosing between life-saving equipment and Wi-Fi. That sounds pretty harsh, but that’s the reality we’re in.”
McMahon said while she empathizes with patients, Wi-Fi is a luxury, not a necessity.
“You can live without Wi-Fi for a few days,” she said.
Capital Health said there are plans to expand the Wi-Fi pilot project at the Halifax Infirmary to the other hospitals in the city.
http://storify.com/globalhalifax/wi-fi-for-halifax-hospital-patients
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