THUNDER BAY - The surge-capacity crisis at the Thunder Bay Regional Sciences Centre continues to ease with the transfer of more than 30 patients to the Hogarth Riverview Manor site, but with another six to eight weeks expected in the flu season, the pressure still remains.
As of Tuesday, 31 alternative level of care patients were transferred to the transitional site at Hogarth, with the last patient expected to be transferred by Wednesday.
“We’ve had extremely positive cooperation from our patients and their families,” said Health Sciences Centre executive vice president of patient services, Rhonda Crocker Ellacott. “They’ve been very positive about their new environment that they are in, very pleased with the space, and the staff seem equally pleased with the environment.”
The health sciences centre has been in a surge-capacity crisis since late December, seeing more than 80 patients over the funded 375 beds available. Late last week, the hospital struck a deal with the Local Health Integration Network and St. Joseph’s Care Group to transfer 32 ALC patients to the Hogarth Riverview Manor site, which is currently empty because of a lack of personal support worker staff.
Between 15 and 20 hospital staff are caring for the patients at the transitional site, with Hogarth staff providing dietary, housekeeping, and support services.
Patients were previously housed in other areas of the hospital, including the back of the ambulatory care space, in surgical day care, in pediatric outpatient clinic, and in the back of the recovery room.
With the move, the Health Sciences Centre is now caring for 449 patients at the hospital site and the Hogarth site.
Crocker Ellacott said following the move of patients, staff are able to care for acute patient care needs more effectively. However, the number of emergency room visits continues to increase due to a very severe flu season this year and if the hospital continues to see more patients admitted, space will not be the only issue.
“Worst case scenario we would fill all the spaces that we have decanted at this site first, which would enable us to essentially surge up to another 30 or 40 beds at this site,” Crocker Ellacott said. “However, staffing will be an issue because we’re up staffing by 75 plus beds every day, and that is very challenging when we didn’t necessarily plan to manage that many overcapacity beds.”
Crocker Ellacott added the hospital is tracking all costs of transferring and caring for patients at the Hogarth Riverview Manor site and is hopeful the Ministry of Health or the LHIN will provide financial relief. The cost of St. Joseph’s Care Group staff providing services and the repayment of that cost is being negotiated.
“We know that we are spending less than we were prior and we’re providing the patients and their families with a much more appropriate environment so it’s better all the way around from a patient safety and quality of care perspective,” she added.
The situation is not over yet, and with the severe flu season expected to continue, Crocker Ellacott said the best defense from the flu is to wash your hands and to avoid work or crowds when sick.
“We expect the flu to last at least another two or three weeks,” Crocker Ellacott said. “We are seeing many patients attend the emergency with respiratory illnesses, so we are having to create a respiratory unit to manage the care of those patients. We would expect to see over capacity continuing at the Health Sciences Centre for at least the next six to eight weeks.”
