Tuesday, September 20, 2022
Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) is experiencing another spike in COVID-19 cases after recently reinstating public visitation to its medical/surgical unit 2A following an outbreak.
After consultation with the Pine Ridge District Health Unit (HKPRDHU), Haliburton, Kawartha Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC), staff and Patient and Family Advisory Council members of the hospital, NHH has made the difficult decision to temporarily stop visiting the NHH Restorative Care Unit due to a new outbreak of COVID-19 cases.
As of September 20, there are five active cases of COVID-19 among patients admitted to the Restorative Care Unit. In the hospital as a whole, including restorative care patients, there are currently eight patients admitted with COVID-19.
Consistent with past outbreaks, visits to patients positive for COVID-19 in restorative care for those nearing end-of-life will continue, in consultation with IPAC and the care team.
Visits continue as usual outside the Restorative Care Unit unless patients are isolated due to infection or exposure to COVID-19. Limited exceptions are made for patients who are positive for COVID-19 in discussion with the IPAC and care team, including, for example, those who are at the imminent end of life. The following is a summary of the infection prevention and control measures in place at NHH:
- Temporary closure of the Restorative Care Unit to all new arrivals
- Daily self-screening by staff for symptoms of COVID-19: All people entering the hospital for work should pre-screen for symptoms and refrain from entering the building or mental health offices of the community should symptoms develop.
- Mandatory use of appropriate PPE: All staff, doctors, midwives and essential carers/visitors are expected to pay strict attention to personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements throughout the hospital and the universal masking policy of NHH is still valid.
- Cohort of patients considered “high-risk contacts”: All patients identified as being at high risk of exposure have been placed in the same area, tested and cared for with appropriate precautions.
- Mandatory staff vaccination – All staff and doctors must be up to date with their vaccinations (two doses); Booster vaccines continue to be distributed to further reduce the risk of infection and spread.
- Strict adherence to thorough hand hygiene practices: Strict adherence to thorough hand hygiene will continue to be reinforced.
- Improved Environmental Cleaning: Improved cleaning, focused on shared equipment between patient rooms
- Proactive Communication: Public notices are continuously updated on NHH communication channels, including the doors inside and leading to the hospital, to promote awareness of the presence of COVID-19 and the importance of vigilance with PPE.
Universal masking is a shared responsibility to mitigate the spread
As a high-risk environment, NHH’s universal masking policy remains in place throughout the hospital and community mental health offices. Visitors have access to free masks at the entrance to the NHH hospital and community mental health offices and are expected to wear their medical-grade mask at all times (or over their personal cloth) while inside, unless they are eating or drinking. designated areas. Visitors are not allowed to eat or drink in patient rooms, as masks should be removed. Mask dispensers have been added to the public entrances to the hospital and Community Mental Health. The dispensers are meant to augment the support of NHH Auxiliary volunteers who have been exceptional in helping to distribute masks and remind arriving patients and visitors of the importance of personal protective equipment while in hospital.
“Despite NHH’s universal masking policy, we continue to see some visitors taking a relaxed approach to masking inside the hospital, either by removing their mask upon entry, leaving it around from the chin or remove it once in the patient’s room. Unfortunately, we believe this has contributed to some patients contracting COVID19,” said Ellen Douglas, manager of Infection Prevention and Control at NHH. “For our care teams, it is extremely difficult to enforce masking when some visitors simply do not recognize the risk to themselves, the loved ones they visit and other vulnerable patients around them when masks are not worn in environments ‘high risk like hospitals.. Masks work. If you are visiting a loved one at NHH, please wear a mask and wear it properly and consistently throughout your stay to help us minimize the risk of new outbreaks in the future”.
For more information about NHH’s visiting guidelines and expectations, including virtual tour options and answers to other frequently asked questions, please see the Visiting Guidelines page on our website.
Updates on NHH’s COVID-19 status will continue to be communicated through the hospital’s website and related social media channels. Community outbreak information will be found on the HKPRDHU website, hkpr.on.ca/category/mycommunity/outbreaks/
View/download the news release in pdf