Peterborough Regional Health Centre is planning to resume non-urgent care in early June if it can meet provincial criteria, the hospital’s chief medical executive said Tuesday.
During Tuesday’s media conference, Dr. Lynn Mikula, PRHC’s chief medical executive and chief of staff, said the hospital continues planning to phase in the return of non-urgent/elective surgeries and procedures amid the coronavirus pandemic.
However, she noted they can only resume if the hospital can meet certain criteria such as maintaining an adequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPE), maintaining a certain capacity in the event of a pandemic clinical surge, and developing a coordinated regional plan with various health partners.
“We are targeting early June for a gradual measured ramp-up of non-urgent care, pending provincial approval,” Mikula said.
“PRHC and all hospitals remain under a provincial directive to keep non-urgent care at minimal levels.”
PPE supplies are currently “sufficient” to resume non-urgent care, Mikula noted.
She also stressed non-urgent care volumes will be closely monitored and could be scaled back, depending on COVID-19 activity.
She said “restarting the engine” of health care won’t happen overnight.
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“We won’t go back to where we were before quickly,” she said. “It will be necessary to prioritize the most urgent patients and we will continue to have enhanced measures in place for people coming to PRHC in order to keep everyone safe.”
She noted if anyone is waiting for a surgery or procedure and symptoms change, they’re asked to contact their primary care provider.
COVID-19 TESTING
Mikula noted that on Monday the hospital had a record 93 people tested for the novel coronavirus.
While the number of tests fluctuates week to week, she said on average the hospital has been testing 30 to 50 people a day in recent weeks.
She says the provincial government’s weekend push for people to get tested may have impacted Monday’s result, which includes many who are asymptomatic or were concerned they have exposed to the virus.
“Premier (Doug) Ford’s message may have inspired more to come,” she said.
To date, the hospital has tested approximately 5,000 people for coronavirus and has assisted in testing another 3,500 people in city and county long-term care and retirement homes.
Mikula noted the hospital is “getting close” to capacity at its assessment centre and is working with Peterborough Public Health and Peterborough County-City Paramedics to explore other testing options such as a “drop-in” model to help expand testing.
“The plan is coming together quickly,” she said. “We do know this will be more of a quick, drop-in kind of testing. This alternative won’t have a physician and a full medical assessment. It will be for people who do not have symptoms and truly just need to get a swab done.”
One patient remains in the hospital’s intensive care unit with COVID-19, she said.
“This has been a long-standing patient,” she noted.
She also noted that the hospital’s emergency room volumes are increasing “bit by bit” as more people feel more comfortable visiting the hospital during the pandemic.
“We are noticing people coming in are still a little sicker than we normally see, so there’s still a sense that perhaps some people are delaying coming in, but we think we getting past that bit by bit,” she said.
Mikula also stated there have been no staff layoffs since the pandemic but noted some people have had their roles adjusted based on needs.
“We are adjusting as we go,” she said.
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