HHHS Community Message - December 19, 2022

Dear friends and neighbours of Haliburton County,

As we welcome the winter season to our region and thoughts turn towards the many gatherings of the holidays, we thought it was important to provide an update on what has been happening inside our facilities, so you know what to expect if you need to visit us.

Staffing Challenges Continue

Like hospitals and health care facilities across Ontario, HHHS continues to experience significant staffing shortages. We are doing our very best to retain and recruit the staff we need, but with a general shortage of available staff across Ontario, illnesses, and burn-out, we have nearly had to temporarily close an Emergency Department (ED) because of these shortages. Our staff continue to go to great lengths to keep all of our facilities open, but this is taking a serious toll on them all.

‘Tripledemic’ Comes to Haliburton County
Again like communities across Ontario, we here in Haliburton County are not immune from the ‘tripledemic’ affecting EDs. The combination of RSV, influenza, and COVID-19 is seriously straining hospital capacity, and we have already had more patients than we had available beds in our 15-bed in-patient unit. We have had to admit people to the ED and to unconventional spaces in our facility.

What this means for you, if you need to visit HHHS, is that ED wait times may be increased and your experience may not be what it used to be. Our staff work exceptionally hard to deliver the high-quality health care that you expect, but how we do this work may look different as we battle this issue. This current wave of illnesses is expected to peak in January, but that may change.

Need to Visit the Emergency Department? STOP – CHECK – GO
As a result of our staff shortages and the ‘tripledemic’, along with surges in our facility and regional facilities, we may need to temporarily close an ED from time to time. It’s more important than ever that those wishing to visit HHHS ‘Stop – Check – Go’ before they travel to us.

Of course, if you are in need of serious medical attention (for chest pain, severe blood loss, head injury, shortness of breath, or if you think you are having a stroke), you should call 911. If an ED is temporarily closed, emergency medical services will take you to the nearest ED.

If the situation is not life-threatening, you should:

‘Stop’ and see if self-care (for a twisted ankle, minor scrapes, or seasonal allergies), a call to a doctor (for chronic symptoms, back pain, or stomach aches), or a call to the Assessment Centre (if you suspect you have COVID or a respiratory illness) can address your needs.
Next, ‘check’ to make sure the Emergency Department you plan to visit is open, by calling HHHS at 705-457-1392 and using extension 2555, visiting the website at hhhs.ca, or visiting HHHS’ Facebook or Twitter pages.
If your need is urgent, you can then ‘go’ to the nearest Emergency Department.

We thank the community for their understanding about this situation and appreciate your consideration of this message.

Visiting Policy at HHHS
With the high rates of illness in community right now, we do ask that everyone planning to visit our hospital and Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities be very mindful of their health. Our patients and residents may be vulnerable to infections, and we all need to do all we can to protect them.

For that reason, anyone who is feeling unwell – for any reason – should not visit. We continue to offer Virtual Visits (video calls), phone calls, and window visits to help patients and loved ones stay connected, and that may be an option for you if you are feeling unwell.

We will continue to actively screen visitors for COVID-19 symptoms before allowing entry to our facilities. For our ED and in-patient departments, visitors are to enter through the main entrance, where they will be screened and have a rapid antigen COVID-19 test conducted before being allowed into the unit. For our LTC homes, visitors will be screened and have a rapid antigen COVID-19 test conducted before being allowed into the home. Note that as of December 18, 2022, only Essential Caregivers are able to visit in the In-Patient Department and the Lower Level of Hyland Crest Long-Term Home, as both facilities are in COVID-19 outbreaks.

We thank all visitors for their cooperation in following this policy.

Stay Healthy & Safe this Holiday Season
To protect yourself, your loved ones, and our community as a whole, and to help HHHS as we deal with these challenges, we ask that you do all you can to stay healthy and illness-free this holiday season.

Please be mindful about any cold or flu-like symptoms, especially around infants, children, those who are elderly, and those who may be immunocompromised, and stay home if you are feeling unwell. Wear a mask in all indoor public spaces. Stay up-to-date on your immunizations, including COVID-19 boosters and the flu vaccine. Wash your hands frequently. Together, we can keep ourselves and our loved ones safe, and protect our healthcare capacity.

Take care,
Carolyn Plummer
President & CEO