As hospitals across Ontario, particularly those in COVID hot-spots, become overwhelmed, those in lesser-hit areas are stepping up to help.
Chatham-Kent Health Alliance CEO Lori Marshall says the local hospital has now received its first patient transfer from the GTA.
“We have known for some time that we may be called upon to help our neighbours in the GTA, this is an unpresented time with respect to the growth of not only ICU patients but other patients as well across the province. Hospitals are just becoming overwhelmed.”
For privacy reasons, Marshall can’t disclose any information about the patient, other than to say it is someone who has been admitted to an acute care bed.
Marshall says more transfers are expected in the days and weeks ahead.
“At this stage, because it will rely on our local (EMS) crews to go, it would be one at a time,” Marshall explains. “We do anticipate that for our region of Erie St Clair, so Windsor and Sarnia and Chatham, that we may see one to two a day shared amongst all of us for the foreseeable future.”
ICU capacity at the Health Alliance currently sits at 50%, while the hospital’s overall acute, medical, surgical, and critical care beds are 83% filled.
As it stands, there are two COVID-positive patients in care.
Marshall stresses the importance of everyone following public health measures in order to weather the pandemic’s third wave.
