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Guelph General begins ramping down use of extra COVID beds in ICU

Some elective surgeries return to the hospital as CEO says plans are underway to ensure overworked staff get the respite they deserve
20210420 Guelph General Hospital ICU KA 003
Guelph General Hospital had a peak of 24 COVID-19 cases earlier this spring. Currently it has four and hospital staff is planning on possibly being COVID-free in the near future. Kenneth Armstrong/GuelphToday file photo

Extra beds that were put into service in the intensive care unit at Guelph General Hospital during pandemic's third wave are now out of service as the number of COVID-positive patients continues to decline.

Earlier in the spring, Guelph General added beds to its ICU as it was seeing up to 24 COVID-positive patients at its peak, said its president and CEO Marianne Walker.

Many of those cases were brought in from neighbouring health units or the GTA.

“We were extremely busy throughout April and May but around June 8 we started seeing a decrease in the patients requiring ICU,” said Walker.

As of Tuesday, the number of COVID-positive patients at GGH was four.

Four of those temporary ICU beds were converted from the hospital’s post-anesthetic unit. Now that the province has allowed some non-emergency surgeries to restart those beds are needed again for recovery.

Walker said the hospital will need to remain nimble in case another spike occurs. Although there are only 54 active cases of COVI-19 in Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph, neighbouring Waterloo Region currently has 522 active cases.

“The expectation is we need to be able to mobilize those beds if needed — for example in Waterloo or elsewhere in the province or Guelph — that we are able to ramp those up again within 48 hours,” said Walker. “We want to keep that flexibility so that if our patients need that care, they will receive that care.”

Walker said the work WDG Public Health has done to vaccinate the public, as well as adherence to wearing masks and social distancing, has contributed to the reduction in local cases.

“At this point it looks very positive for us and we are very hopeful that those behaviours will continue and we will be able to manage through this period,” she said.

The reduction in active cases is allowing the hospital staff to take a breath and plan for a post-COVID future, but Walker said as those numbers drop the hospital is starting to see its more traditional cases climb.

“The numbers are now coming closer to what they were pre-pandemic, so we are seeing more patients,” said Walker. “We opened more than 24 beds. We know we are going to need to continue to keep those beds open.”

Walker said the additional number of beds the hospital needs could rise in coming months to a total of 30.

“We are continuing to work with the ministry to make sure we have the beds needed to accommodate the growth of our community,” she said.

Over the past two weeks, GGH began offering elective day procedures like cataract surgeries and endoscopies, operating at about 70 per cent capacity, said Melissa Skinner, VP patient services and chief nursing executive.

“As of June 28, other elective surgeries such as hip and knee replacement, some gynecological procedures, vascular cases and urology procedures will also resume,” said Skinner. “Our focus will be on getting those procedures done as soon as possible where patients have been waiting the longest.”

Walker said once priority now that the number of active COVID cases has reduced is to ensure hospital staff get the time off they deserve and the hospital is planning for it.

“Our staff and our physicians have been working full-out for 15 to 16 months,” said Walker. “They have been redeployed, taken on other roles, we have also supported our retirement homes and our long-term care homes, assessment centres. We really need to ensure they have some time to restore and that they get a very well-deserved vacation.”

“I am sure all patients want health care providers who have had a little bit of a break after a very challenging year and a bit,” she added.


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Kenneth Armstrong

About the Author: Kenneth Armstrong

Kenneth Armstrong is a news reporter and photojournalist who regularly covers municipal government, business and politics and photographs events, sports and features.
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