On Tuesday, April 28, South Bruce Grey Health Centre’s (SBGHC) Walkerton site reopened for admission of non-COVID/non-respiratory patients.
On April 6, SBGHC had designated the Acute Care Units at the Kincardine and Walkerton hospitals as dedicated COVID/respiratory units, in preparation for a surge of acute respiratory patients requiring admission. Since that time, it has become clear that the impact of COVID-19 is beginning to be felt instead by long-term care (LTC) and retirement homes, both provincially and locally.
The surge of patients in hospital that SBGHC has been preparing for has not yet materialized, and as a result, the volume of non-COVID/non-respiratory patients being admitted to the Chesley and Durham hospitals has been steadily increasing, while volumes in Kincardine and Walkerton remain very low. The decision was made to return the Walkerton hospital to a non-COVID/non-respiratory site to help alleviate some of this pressure. SBGHC’s Kincardine site will continue to operate as the designated COVID/respiratory site for the organization.
Emergency departments at all four of SBGHC’s sites continue to operate as usual, and patients should still go to their nearest hospital if they require care. If a patient presents with respiratory symptoms or symptoms of COVID-19, staff and physicians will take all the necessary precautions to care for them in designated areas within the emergency department, with personal protective equipment to ensure there is no transfer of infection.
“I want to stress that people should not be staying away from the Emergency Department for fear of COVID-19,” explains Michael Barrett, president and CEO. “There are significant infection control measures in place at all four of our sites to protect our patients. Our emergency departments are open and here for you should you require hospital care.”
Diagnostics and lab services are available for both COVID-19/respiratory and non-COVID-19 patients at all facilities. All required precautions have been undertaken to ensure no transfer of the virus.
SBGHC Walkerton reopened for admissions of non-COVID and non-respiratory patients
SBGHC Walkerton reopened for admissions of non-COVID and non-respiratory patients was last modified: May 6th, 2020 by