Due to a record number of COVID-19 patients, extremely high patient volumes in the emergency department usage, and pandemic-related staff shortages, Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) is asking the public to consider available alternatives before seeking care at the hospital if their situation is not an emergency.
“PRHC, like hospitals across Ontario, is very much still in the midst of the pandemic,” says Dr. Lynn Mikula, the hospital’s chief of staff and chief medical executive, in a media release issued on Thursday (April 21).
“While mandates have lifted in most public spaces, PRHC is not operating in its pre-pandemic state, and in fact a number of key factors continue to converge at the hospital as we grapple with the effects of this sixth wave of COVID-19.”
As of Wednesday, there were 37 inpatients at PRHC with COVID-19, with one COVID-19 outbreak in Unit C3 of the hospital.
“With very high patient volumes and acuity and a higher-than-usual number of patients who require isolation protocols to prevent the spread of illness inside the hospital, individuals who come to the emergency department for care should expect to wait longer than usual to be seen for all but the most acute illnesses and conditions,” read the media release.
The hospital is asking anyone who is considering coming to the emergency department for non-urgent healthcare to consider other options, such as contacting their family doctor if they have one or calling the free Telehealth Ontario service at 1-866-797-0000 for round-the-clock health advice or information.
Dr. Mikula also says hospital workers have seen an increase in aggressive and abusive behaviours from some members of the public.
“PRHC staff and physicians are working incredibly hard right now, putting in long hours under increasingly challenging conditions in order to provide life-saving care for hundreds of patients each day,” she says. “I would like to be clear that violent and abusive behaviours, which create an unsafe and disruptive environment for our healthcare workers, patients and caregivers, will not be tolerated.”
