‘Extraordinary measures’ implemented with nearly 600 Hamilton hospital staffers off work in COVID isolation

HAMILTON – Hamilton Health Sciences CEO Rob MacIsaac issued an update this afternoon saying the first few weeks of the new year are looking to be difficult ones for his hospitals and staff due to the widespread transmission of the Covid-19 omicron variant in our communities.

Last night he sent out an urgent “all-hands-on-deck” appeal to staff to come in off vacation and work longer hours due to staffing shortages and followed that up with a statement today.

“We are once again facing immense pressures around hospital occupancy and staffing,” he wrote in his release, which said there are currently more than 400 HHS staff in isolation at home and currently there are more than 100 inpatients at HHS who are Covid-positive.

Thirteen of those patients are in the intensive care unit. Not all were admitted to hospital because of Covid, however, but there have been “numerous outbreaks across our sites, which impact our ability to admit new patients as they come through our emergency departments. We are taking all measures to continue to meet the demand for emergency and regional care,” adds MacIsaac’s statement.

It also said emergency department volumes are exceeding pre-pandemic volumes at times, so HHS “implementing extraordinary measures.”

These include:

• A ramp down of procedural and scheduled care beginning Jan. 4, in alignment with direction from Ontario Health. This will allow us to divert resourcing, including health human resources, to areas of greatest need. We will continue to provide time-sensitive care and surgical activity in our cancer and pediatric programs will proceed as normal
• An appeal to staff who are on vacation, or who have part-time or casual schedules to pick up extra hours.
• Premium payments above and beyond collective agreement and policy requirements will be paid to any staff who work unscheduled hours between the CEO’s appeal issued yesterday evening (Dec. 30) until the end of the night shift commencing Jan. 4 and concluding the morning of Jan. 5.
• Call-back of asymptomatic staff with a negative rapid antigen test (RAT) who are currently isolating at home.
• Deployment of staff from our ambulatory areas to support inpatient care. More information about this will be shared soon.
• Continued prioritization of PCR testing for staff and physicians to enable expedient return-to-work, with additional enhancements to the testing process underway.

“I am incredibly grateful to those who have stepped forward in the last 24 hours to offer extra time and support, and to those who are already putting in extended hours to care for our patients,” his statement reads.

At St. Joseph’s Healthcare, it reported to CHCH News today that 163 staff are now in isolation at home, an increase of 30 since they last reported that number on December 29th.

“Health care organizations across the province have been struggling with staffing shortages over the course of the pandemic and St. Joseph’s is no exception,” said a spokesperson in an emailed statement to CHCH News.

“The easily transmitted Omicron variant has made the situation more challenging. We currently have 163 Covid-19 positive staff and physicians. We are monitoring the staffing levels daily and have a comprehensive plan to help address concerns, which includes the recall of retired employees, accepting the offer of our HCWs who are volunteering to work extra shifts or lend their expertise in various departments to support one another to ease the burden on our teams.”

As directed by Ontario Health, St. Joe’s will also pause all ramp up of scheduled surgical and procedural activity (non-emergent and non-urgent) following the holiday period until further notice, said the spokesperson.

“We understand how difficult delays can be for people who are waiting for surgeries or procedures,” added the email. “We are working through the details of what this will mean for our patients, and will communicate directly to those who are impacted.”