Burlington’s Joseph Brant Hospital is building a temporary pandemic response unit in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The hospital will be adding 93 beds as the hospital expects a surge in patients due to the virus.
The structure will be connected to the hospital’s south tower. Joseph Brant’s Chief of Staff Dr. Ian Preyra says this will allow the hospital to preserve their critical care and high acuity patient beds for their sickest patients.
The decision was made in collaboration between the hospital, community-based health care providers, the Halton region, and the city of Burlington.
“I fully support the action Joseph Brant Hospital is taking in preparing for an increase in COVID-19 patient,” said Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward. “Our community, including our hospital, needs to plan and prepare for every contingency during this emergency situation.”
This announcement comes less than a week after the Ontario government said that it is providing an additional $3.3 billion to support front line health care workers and increase health care capacity in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
“I want to recognize the efforts of our local hospital,” said Member of Parliament for Burlington Karina Gould. “This is a challenging time for everyone, but the measures we are putting in place are extremely important.
