The Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance is working on a plan to resume surgeries and procedures that were postponed due to the increased pressures faced because of third wave of the pandemic.
The Ontario Government issued a directive April 20 for hospitals to cease all non-essential and elective services. That was rescinded on Wednesday.
“We are planning to gradually reintroduce surgeries and postponed procedures to ensure we have the resources to respond to current pressures in our Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and, if needed, to respond to any increases in COVID-19 cases in the hospital,” said Andrew Williams, President and CEO. “We know it has been challenging for those waiting for care and we are committed to addressing existing wait lists as quickly as possible.”
As a provincial system partner the Stratford General Hospital site of the HPHA has accepted patients from the Greater Toronto Area to support hospitals who are under extreme pressures.
“Our priority is to be able to quickly respond to support our provincial healthcare system so that we may continue to treat patients, with and without COVID-19, who require urgent, lifesaving care,” added Williams. “However, we are hoping that the downward trend in new cases of COVID-19, hospitalizations and ICU admissions will continue and this will allow us the capacity to reintroduce postponed surgeries and procedures.”
HPHA’s planning centres around starting with surgeries that are not expected to require patients to stay overnight or use critical resources to maintain the ability to respond to increases in COVID-19 hospitalizations.
Patients will be kept informed and contacted for any pre-op work that is necessary.
Other services affected will depend on the ability to move redeployed staff back to their home-base programs.
HPHA is also reminding its communities that it is safe to receive care at any of the hospital sites and that community members should not delay seeking treatment if it is needed.
