If you have an elective surgery coming in the next few weeks, your plans may have to change.
The North Bay Regional Health Centre announced today that it will be moving to delay all elective surgeries, effective May 3.
Hospital officials explain that this action is being taken to preserve health system capacity and help to ensure Ontario’s health care system can continue to meet the needs of critically ill patients and is in line with Directive #2.
That Directive #2 allows hospitals to move sick COVID-19 positive patients to other Ontario hospitals to help free up capacity in ICU's across the province; primarily from southern Ontario COVID-19 hot spots.
Currently, the hospital has three patients on ventilators in the local hospital with two more on the way via transfer this weekend.
"We had two COVID-19 positive patients intubated on ventilators that arrived on Monday and there is a plan for two more that will be arriving this weekend via jet," said Dr. Jennifer Mihill, Head of Anaesthesia and NBRHC COVID-19 Critical Care Preparedness Lead during an online Zoom media conference conducted Wednesday afternoon.
See related: Local hospital will delay elective surgeries effective Monday
Mihill says it will change the way the hospital operates.
"I would say the biggest change is the staffing model in the ICU and also the slowing of our operating room and that is the biggest change for the hospital," she said.
Hospital officials also pointed out that opening up space for transferred COVID-19 patients has its challenges, and it's more than just opening up a bed for a sick new patient.
"If it was about beds, then we would be fine continuing surgeries where patients are not getting admitted but a big component on this is manpower so basically nurses who are being re-deployed from different units to help, also freeing up our anaesthetists who are running the ventilators in the ICU so it is not just a numbers game, it is really about human resources," said Dr. Neva Fantham-Tremblay, NBRHC Medical Director of Surgery & Head of Service for Obstetrics and Gynecology during the media conference.
Hospital officials also point out that all urgent and emergent surgeries and procedures will continue. Patients will continue to have access to health services such as diagnostic services directly related to the provision of urgent or emergent surgeries and procedures such as knee replacements and hernia procedures.
The hospital has confirmed that it is also in the process of moving some patients from the hospital to long term care homes in the regions as well but they could not confirm a specific number or how many were going to transfer to various long term homes in the area.
