While there is no timeline yet, Timmins and District Hospital president and CEO Blaise MacNeil says they are planning to resume limited in-patient visits.
Today, outdoor in-person visits are starting at long-term care and retirement homes.
"While this is a very positive announcement, provincial directive announced in March for visitor restrictions in hospitals remains in effect. We realize that this is extremely difficult for loved ones of patients that are in our hospital and the visitor restrictions that affect them,” said MacNeil in the mayor's noon-hour update on COVID-19 locally.
Earlier this week, MacNeil said the chief medical officer of health announced acute care hospitals could start gradually resuming patient visits.
“The Timmins and District Hospital has started planning the process for limited resumption of in-patient visitation. This plan is part of a larger, phased approach with healthcare safety of our patients, physicians and staff remaining our top priority,” he said, adding more information and a timeline will be available shortly.
A slow reintroduction of clinical services started at the facility earlier this month.
“As the hospital begins to see the slow resumption of these services, we are reminding the public that this is not a return to normal operations. Precautionary measures like active screening, enhanced surveillance, and mandatory physical distancing remain in place,” said MacNeil.
People attending the hospital are also being asked to wear a non-medical mask or face covering.
To preserve the medical-grade equipment for healthcare workers, people have been asked to bring their own. A call was also put out late last month for donations of homemade masks to give to people going to the hospital who don't have their own.
So far, TADH communications specialist Kaileigh Russell said almost 400 masks have been donated. All of them are cleaned and individually packaged before being given to patients.
“Personally I wanted to thank the ongoing donations from the public of homemade masks. It’s truly amazing the creativity and the skill out of the folks who are making the masks,” said MacNeil.
