Dryden Regional Health Centre/CKDR Files
The Dryden Regional Health Centre is thanking area residents who continue to do their part in the fight against COVID-19.
With other Intensive Care Units and hospitals near capacity across the province, Chief Executive Officer Doreen Armstrong-Ross says they have no COVID patients or outbreaks at this time.
However, Armstrong-Ross stresses we can’t look at restrictions or lockdowns on an individual community basis as it’s a provincial and even broader issue across the country.
“The healthcare system, it’s a whole system. We depend on those beds in Southern Ontario and Toronto as much as the people in Southern Ontario and Toronto depend on those beds. That’s where our critical care patients go so we need that capacity.”
As of Monday, there were 828 people in Ontario ICU’s which Health Minister Christine Elliot calls ‘still very high’.
“We have to maintain the healthcare system for the health of everybody, not just the COVID positive patients,” adds Armstrong-Ross. “We want to be able to provide the care to everybody who needs it and are working hard to do that but keeping our COVID numbers down is a key to that.”
Chief of Staff Dr. Bruce Cook explains the DRHC doesn’t have a the trained staff for an official intensive care unit.
“We have a critical care unit with three beds and we have two ventilators that we can use in that unit, one of them was graciously donated by Domtar. If one of our patients required a ventilator, they would be transferred to an intensive care unit in the province.”
Patients would likely go to Thunder Bay but with ICU’s filling up, transfers are being coordinated by a provincial agency.
“It’s frustrating for everyone to be in these lockdown measures, we have done a wonderful job in Dryden but all we have to do is look nearby to see what can happen,” says Dr. Cook. “There’s been outbreaks in Kenora, outbreaks in Marathon, outbreaks in the Fort Frances, Emo area, outbreaks in Sioux Lookout, we’re holding our own. We thank everyone for doing what they’ve done, keep doing it, keep wearing your mask, keep washing your hands, get a vaccine when it’s available for you and we can get through this.”
A hundred percent of willing staff have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and the DRHC adds they’re prepared to deploy any willing staff elsewhere in the province or reduce services even further if needed.
Listen to the complete interview with DRHC’s CEO Doreen Armstrong-Ross, COS Dr. Bruce Cook and Chief of Nursing Joan Mallyon below.
