The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance has treated three patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in the last week, all of whom have now been discharged.
However, Health Alliance CEO Lori Marshall says that doesn’t mean they’re letting their guard down.
“We never know what’s coming in the door,” Marshall says. “This heightened level of vigilance is required whether we have zero patients in hospital or 20, we must be behaving in the same way, taking all of the same precautions.”
Marshall says that’s how they make sure if someone does come in with symptoms, hospital staff are already doing what needs to be done to prevent any transmission and possible outbreak.
But all of these precautions and protocols are hard on the mental wellbeing of staff.
“It’s very stressful, and we recognize it’s stressful. It’s one of the reasons we’ve made if not a commitment in the past, a recommitment to supports for mental health and addictions not only for our community, but also recognizing the wellness of our own workforce, our staff and our physicians, is very, very important.”