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Hospital staff fighting through the fear that more COVID-19 patients bring

'It is safe to say that it is hard for everyone at the hospital and in the community'
2017 north bay hospital emergency entrance turl
North Bay Regional Hospital. Jeff Turl/BayToday.

Staff at the North Bay Regional Health Centre claim they are staying strong despite the roller coaster of emotion that the COVID-19 pandemic has created. 

Back in March, hospital workers were feeling optimistic as they all started receiving their first doses of COVID-19 vaccines. It was an indication that there was a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.  

However, with a surge in cases in the province, a new directive has been put in place by the province. Now a hospital that has been close to COVID-19 free for much of the pandemic, is now receiving multiple COVID-19 positive patients who are on ventilators. 

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.

"It is safe to say that it is hard for everyone at the hospital and in the community," said Mihill. 

See related: Hospital making room for more COVID-19 patient transfers 

See related: COVID-19 vaccines brings relief to health care workers' family 

While many of the staff have that protection from the initial first dose, they are now seeing more patients than ever before, very sick from COVID-19.  

Mihill admits that weighs heavy in the hearts of many hospital workers' families.  

"I think the feeling is two-fold. Number one, there is some fear," admits Mihill. 

"We are partially vaccinated as Health Care workers in the hospital having had one of two doses. That is following the ministry mandate and we will receive our second dose in June. We are bringing COVID-19 positive patients into our community which is fearful on many levels so there is that part of it." 

However, Mihill admits there is a real intention and willingness for staff to look past that fear and help. 

"Ontario is in a terrible situation right now with ICU beds and being over-capacity in the south and I think people here - we are health care workers; nurses, doctors, managers, health administrators," she said.  

"Everybody wants to help here. We want to make the situation better, we want to take care of patients, we want to do our part.  

"I also sense a lot of enthusiasm too, to take this on because we are ready and willing to help everybody and we want to do it too."

But it's not easy.  

"Our kids are at home doing school, we cannot go anywhere," she said.  

"Everyone is on the Stay-At-Home Order. We have been off and on with this type of thing for over a year now. Just like everybody else, we are human. We have been here holding the line for a year and you are right it is hard. But we have a very supportive senior administration here. We have excellent managers, we have very motivated doctors and nurses and I think we are just the right size hospital and the right size community to get through this.

However, there is hope and positivity within the walls of the North Bay Regional Health Centre.   

It's that kind of attitude that Mihill believes will help them triumph.  

"This team here, you would be surprised how optimistic they are and how well they are coping with the situation that we are in," she said.  

"We are a wonderful team and we are going to be here to serve the community and the people from the south. We will continue to do that as long as we need to but it is hard." 


Chris Dawson

About the Author: Chris Dawson

Chris Dawson has been with BayToday.ca since 2004. He has provided up-to-the-minute sports coverage and has become a key member of the BayToday news team.
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