BARRIE, ONT. On the day Ontario s top doctor announced some hospitals can resume certain surgeries, CTV s Craig Momney speaks with the Chief of Staff at Stevenson Memorial Hospital about the new orders and reopening safely.
Craig Momney - Dr. Nathanson, thank you for joining us. Some Ontario hospitals were told today they can start doing surgeries and other procedures again. Are we ready for this?
Dr. Barry Nathanson - Well, the backlog of patients who require these necessary procedures is massive and growing every day. So the need is huge, and no one can question the importance of beginning to clear that backlog.
BARRIE, ONT. Simcoe County residents whose surgeries were postponed by the third wave of the pandemic may soon get a call to re-book. Ontario s top doctor has given some areas of the province the green light to restart non-emergency surgeries. Staff at the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH), Soldier s Memorial Hospital, Stevenson Memorial Hospital, Collingwood General and Marine Hospital and Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare are discussing their next steps. Local hospitals started dialling back non-emergency surgeries in early April as COVID-19 cases spiked and intensive care units were stretched to their limits. In a letter addressed to healthcare providers Wednesday, Dr. David Williams says the time is right for a change, with cases, hospitalizations, and ICU admissions trending downward.
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BARRIE, ONT. Ontario s ICUs have remained at critical levels as patients are transferred from hospital to hospital throughout the province. Dr. Barry Nathanson, chief of staff at Stevenson Memorial Hospital in Alliston, talks with CTV s Craig Momney about the current situation.
Craig Momney What is the situation as of today in the ICUs?
Dr. Barry Nathanson Generally, in critical care units across, at least the GTA and its environments, there is some level of reduced anxiety because it appears, only appears, that we may be able to avoid the dire circumstance of having so many critically ill patients in Ontario hospitals that we would not be able to provide standard care to some patients coming in.
ALLISTON, ONT. For nearly 60 years, Stevenson Memorial Hospital in Alliston has been the little hospital that could but meeting the challenges of the pandemic has proven more difficult every day as the number of patients grows. Stevenson Memorial Hospital s president and CEO, Jody Levac, said they have had to transfer patients to other hospitals because of the facility s limitations. We are doing what we can in the building that we have, but that s not the vision. The vision has always been to have a redevelopment hospital here at Stevenson, with increased bed capacity and proper resources to serve out the community, Levac said.