The head of the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) is asking the public to have patience as the hospital continues to grapple with staffing shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
CKHA President and CEO Lori Marshall said, as of Wednesday, there were 50 staff members who are off work after testing positive for COVID-19 or because they are awaiting test results. Another 17 staff members are being isolated at work due to exposure to the virus.
Marshall said maintaining staffing levels at the hospital is a constant challenge that keeps her up at night.
“It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to make sure that we have the right people in the right place in the hospital at the right time to be able to be providing care,” she said. “It’s a bit of a daily exercise in terms of trying to move staff around the hospital.”
With so many employees frequently being forced to quarantine, Marshall is hopeful Chatham-Kent residents will show patience with staff when attending the hospital.
“Two years into this, I would say staff and physicians are getting a little tired,” she said. “I know we all want this to be over but we are certainly doing the best that we can here. And in the event you have to wait a little longer in a waiting room or at a screening desk… please be patient with us.”
Marshall is also asking that the public be mindful of the ongoing masking requirements for hospitals.
While the provincial government has ended masking mandates across the province in most indoor settings, masks are still required in health care settings such as hospitals.