Family of Winnipeg woman who died after ER waits demands answers, systemic changes

The family of a Winnipeg woman who died following two grueling 12-hour waits in a hospital emergency department is demanding accountability and systemic changes after learning a critical heart test that could have saved her life went unread by medical staff. Stacey Ross, 55, died in January 2024 after seeking care for chest pains at St. Boniface Hospital, with her family now speaking out about failures they say reflect broader problems in Manitoba's health system that require immediate government intervention.

The timeline of medical care

Stacey Ross first sought emergency treatment at St. Boniface Hospital on January 3, 2024, presenting with concerning chest pains. After enduring a full 12-hour wait in the emergency department - a timeframe that has become increasingly common in Manitoba hospitals - she was finally examined by a physician. The doctor referred her to a cardiac outpatient clinic, but the next available appointment was shockingly scheduled for January 21, 2026, more than two years in the future. This extraordinary delay for cardiac consultation highlights the severe backlog in Manitoba's specialist healthcare system.

Before that distant appointment date arrived, Ross's condition worsened, forcing her to return to the same emergency department on January 15. During this second 12-hour wait, medical staff properly administered a troponin test, which measures heart muscle damage by detecting specific proteins in the blood. However, the critical incident report later revealed that despite being performed, the test results were never reviewed by triage staff during Ross's lengthy wait. Hospital officials attributed this critical oversight to overwhelming "patient volumes and competing demands" rather than individual negligence.

The fatal oversight

When hospital staff finally reviewed the troponin test results after Ross's condition suddenly deteriorated around 10:45 p.m., the readings showed dangerous elevation indicating significant cardiac distress. According to the critical incident report obtained by Global News, emergency interventions were initiated at this point but proved tragically belated. Ross died shortly after medical staff recognized the severity of her condition, with the delayed test review representing a lost opportunity for earlier intervention that might have saved her life.

Family's anguish and unanswered questions

Sherri Ross, Stacey's sister, described to Global News how learning about the unread troponin test compounded the family's grief. "They didn't communicate the troponin levels, and that ultimately is what killed her, is really frustrating and maddening," Sherri said during an emotional interview. The family's pain has been exacerbated by the province's prolonged failure to provide basic answers - more than eight months after Ross's death, they still await an official autopsy report and medical examiner's determination of cause of death.

Ben Ross, Stacey's brother, framed the tragedy as symptomatic of systemic failures in communication and resource allocation within Manitoba's healthcare system. "It's a communication problem. Everybody needs to work together. The hospital needs to talk to the health minister. It needs to talk to the premier, and they need to come up with a plan because we can't just keep losing family," he told Global News, highlighting the need for coordinated government action rather than isolated hospital-level changes.

Institutional responses and reforms

Following Ross's death, St. Boniface Hospital and the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) conducted a critical incident review that yielded several procedural changes. A hospital spokesperson stated they have implemented rapid cardiology consultations in the emergency department, with a cardiologist now available to assist ER teams evaluating patients with heart-related symptoms. The WRHA indicated plans to expand this service as additional staffing becomes available, though the Ross family remains skeptical about whether these measures address the root causes of systemic delays.

Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara issued a statement acknowledging the family's pain while emphasizing the government's commitment to learning from the tragedy. "No report can undo what Stacey's family has been through, but they deserve to know that lessons are being learned and acted on," Asagwara said, pledging continued efforts to strengthen emergency care through increased staffing and improved system access. The minister noted maintaining contact with the Ross family throughout the review process.

A vibrant life cut short

Beyond the medical and bureaucratic details, the Ross family remembers Stacey as a vivacious woman who embraced life's pleasures. Her sister Sherri recalled her passion for travel, musical theater, and shopping, noting "She was up for anything and not having that is really sad." Ben Ross shared a poignant memory from a summer family gathering where Stacey's absence felt particularly profound: "We were sitting as a family on my back deck and we're just looking at each other going, 'Stacey should be here.'" These personal recollections underscore the human dimension behind the statistical realities of emergency room wait times and systemic healthcare failures.

Broader implications for Manitoba healthcare

Ross's case exposes multiple pressure points in Manitoba's healthcare system that extend far beyond a single hospital's emergency department. The two-year wait for a cardiac outpatient appointment - which Ross never lived to attend - illustrates the dangerous bottlenecks in specialist care that compound emergency room overcrowding. The hospital's acknowledgment that "patient volumes and competing demands" led to the failure to review Ross's troponin test suggests systemic understaffing and resource limitations rather than individual errors, pointing to the need for provincial-level solutions.

Family demands substantive reform

The Ross family has become unwilling advocates for healthcare reform, expressing deep skepticism about whether the implemented changes will prevent similar tragedies. Sherri Ross dismissed the hospital's assurances about improved communication protocols, telling Global News: "They say that if somebody's levels have changed, they're going to communicate that to the doctor, so that maybe they could be fast-tracked, but I don't believe any of it." This distrust reflects broader public concerns about whether bureaucratic responses translate to meaningful improvements in patient care.

The urgent need for systemic solutions

Stacey Ross's death represents a critical case study in how systemic healthcare pressures can cascade into fatal consequences. The fact that properly administered test results went unread due to systemic overload rather than individual error suggests solutions must address structural deficiencies rather than focusing solely on procedural tweaks. As emergency departments across Canada grapple with similar challenges of overcrowding and staffing shortages, this tragedy underscores the urgent need for coordinated strategies that simultaneously address immediate ER backlogs, specialist care access, and long-term healthcare workforce planning. The Ross family's persistence in demanding accountability highlights how personal tragedies can illuminate systemic failures, transforming private grief into a catalyst for public conversation about healthcare priorities and government responsibility.