The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA) is postponing all elective and non-urgent procedures due to “rising critical care needs” stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Last night, in a meeting with the surgical heads of service and surgical leadership, a difficult decision was made to cancel all elective and non-urgent procedures at CKHA beginning Thursday, January 7,” hospital officials said in a press release issued on Tuesday, January 5, 2021.
“An exception applies to cancer surgeries and procedures, which will not be cancelled. This temporary measure will allow us to respond to the rising urgent critical care needs of both our community and region. These cancellations are likely to continue throughout the weeks that follow until we begin to see a decline in patients requiring critical care beds.”
CKHA officials added: “We are facing critical pressures meeting the emerging needs and competing demands of the pandemic. As of this morning, our occupancy in both our Intensive Care Unit and Progressive Care Unit is 100% with nine vented patients in our ICU. Overall occupancy for medical/surgical/critical care is 92% (excluding the additional 20 regional beds that remain available). Patient flow is challenged along with maintaining private rooms due to isolation precautions.”
Hospital officials added they “have reached the point” where they must look at all available resources to meet the demands of high need areas.
“This will require us to begin the process of staff redeployment again,” CKHA officials say.
“We understand this is a difficult situation for all of our staff and physicians, and redeployment comes with extra stressors. We are relying on the best available evidence guided by our regional operational leads and chief nursing executives to ensure we make the work conditions for those redeployed respectful and supportive.”
Hospital officials added: “We also expect to receive additional patient transfers from Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) this week as they deal with their highest number of COVID-19 positive inpatients since the outset of the pandemic. Isolation protocols and aging infrastructure at WRH cannot accommodate safe, quality care for all their patients. We are working with WRH on determining the most appropriate acute care patients to transfer to CKHA.”
More details from WRH, here.
“Patients impacted by these cancellations will be contacted directly by their Surgeon’s Office,” hospital officials say.
