The CEO of the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance says the COVID-19 pandemic and the number of deaths linked to the virus over the past year have had a significant impact on her hospitals.
Lori Marshall reflected on the loss of life, not only close to home but afar, on Thursday and said the experience has hit her employees hard and the pandemic has been the biggest challenge of their careers. Thursday marked the one year anniversary of the COVID-19 global pandemic and Marshall said it was a difficult day for everybody at the hospital.
She also pointed out the hospitals have had to quickly pivot several times to deal with the virus, making work conditions very challenging for her employees.
CKHA paid tribute to all of the lives lost by pausing for a moment of silence at 11 a.m.
"Each one of those people had a family, friends, and a story. We as health care providers remember, pay tribute and pledge never to forget. We are forever changed by this and as the sun shines, we look forward with hope," Marshall wrote in a tweet.
Marshall said her biggest personal challenge over the past year was overcoming some decisions that were sometimes unpopular within the organization, but added they were all made in the best interest of the community at large.
"It is my hope at the end of the day that those decisions, in hindsight, will be respected and that people know that I've always had the health and safety of not only our population but everyone who works and practices at CKHA as my driving force in all that we have done at CKHA," said Marshall.
Marshall also pointed out that CKHA has made several investments to support mental health issues among her staff caused by COVID-19. However, she can't go into the details or how many employees accepted help for confidentially reasons.
Marshall also reflected on several accomplishments at the hospitals during this unprecedented year and added it speaks to the extraordinary dedication of her staff, doctors, and volunteers. She also thanked the community for its support, patience, and understanding.
The first COVID-19 patient was admitted at the hospital on March 18, 2020, the COVID-19 Unit was established March 27, the field hospital at St. Clair College was set up in April, and mobile testing was launched in June.
The public health unit in Chatham-Kent reported on Thursday the two COVID-19 outbreaks in the dialysis unit and lab services continue at CKHA. Marshall said 16 staff are currently isolating due to a COVID-19 exposure. Two of them are positive with the virus and four others along with the two positive staff are linked to the outbreaks.
Marshall also reported three patients are in the hospital with COVID-19 but only one is a local resident and none of them are connected to the outbreaks.
Local public health officials also reported seven new cases and one resolved case for a total of 46 active cases. Chatham-Kent Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Colby said the recent surge in cases can be traced back to indoor gatherings. He also pointed out that two variant cases of the virus have been flagged in Chatham-Kent over the last several weeks but they were caught at the tail end of the infection and the patients were recovering, making it nearly impossible for tests to confirm they were variants.
