Butterdome to become COVID-19 secondary treatment facility to keep patients out of ERs

The Butterdome on the University of Alberta campus is being turned into a referrals-only COVID-19 treatment facility with the aim of keeping mildly ill people out of emergency departments in the Edmonton area, Alberta Health Services said Friday.

The facility, expected to be operational next week, is for patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms who may need treatment, as well as people with respiratory or influenza-like symptoms.

AHS communication director Kerry Williamson said right now, those people have to self-isolate because the risk of transmission is high for them to go to the ER.

“The assessment and treatment centre is being created to ensure a safe space for patients to receive short-term treatment to support their recovery from influenza-like illnesses including COVID-19, where all efforts are geared towards ensuring a protected treatment environment for patients and staff,” Williamson said.

The Butterdome centre is prepared to treat 30 patients per shift initially, and can increase those numbers as demand increases.

Staff will include both registered and licensed practical nurses, physicians and administrative staff. In total, about 30 AHS staff members will work there, plus security.

People who call Health Link 811 to be assessed over the phone would be referred to the Butterdome centre, AHS said, stressing it is not a walk-in facility.

“Medical assessment and treatment will be available through appointments referred by Health Link and booked by Public Health,” Williamson said.

“This service will be available 16 hours a day, by appointment.”

Williamson said the Butterdome secondary assessment centre is intended to meet the needs of patients who may be referred to an emergency department, but not urgently, “or, patients who would normally be referred to their family doctor, who may not be seeing symptomatic patients at this time.”

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The Butterdome facility is the only one of its kind in the Edmonton Zone, Williamson said, but added more could be added as needed.

On Friday afternoon, Alberta Health announced 56 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 542.

Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said 42 of these cases may be community transmission from unknown source. There were 23 patients in hospital, 10 of whom were in the ICU. Hinshaw also said 33 Albertans have recovered from COVID-19.

Premier Jason Kenney also on Friday ordered all non-essential businesses to close and reduced the limit on mass gatherings from 50 people to just 15.

Businesses ordered to close include:

• Close contact businesses including hair salons and barbershops, tattoo and piercing studios, esthetic services, as well as wellness studios and clinics and non-emergency and non-critical health services such as dentistry, physiotherapy, massage, podiatry, chiropractic and optometry services.
• Non-essential retail services that fall into the categories of clothing, computer and gaming stores, and services in shopping malls and shopping centres such as hobby and toys, gift and specialty items and furniture.

Restaurants will no longer be able to offer dine-in service, but can continue to offer take-out and delivery.

Kenney also announced rental tenants cannot be evicted for non-payment of rent and/or utilities before May 1.

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Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.