Network downtime expected as CKHA upgrades computer system

Chatham-Kent Health Alliance’s (CKHA) hospital-wide network will be undergoing a planned downtime this weekend to accommodate upgrades to the organization’s computer systems.

Hospital officials say during this down time, phone lines in patient rooms and incoming calls will be unavailable at the Chatham Site on Saturday, August 22, 2020 from 8 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. and at the Wallaceburg Site on Sunday, August 23, 2020 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Additionally, patient phone lines and incoming calls will be down intermittently throughout each day the upgrades take place, hospital officials say.

“CKHA has worked to ensure the appropriate processes are in place to continue to support quality patient care and to mitigate the impact on patients during the downtime,” hospital officials said in a press release.

“This work includes identifying high risk scenarios and building contingency plans to address these situations should they arise during the downtime. The downtime will require staff to implement their unit specific downtime procedures, which generally mean paper-based processes for patient admissions, transfers, patient charting, etc. During this time patients and families can expect some minor delays, particularly in the Emergency Department due to the manual processes.”

Hospital officials say the downtime will not affect all areas of the hospital at the same time.

“The upgrades will take place in small segments throughout each unit, impacting each individual area for an estimated 30 to 60 minutes,” CKHA officials say.

“The hospital’s Guest Wi-Fi network will also be affected during this downtime. CKHA thanks its patients, families and visitors for their understanding during these planned downtime procedures.”

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