COVID-19 GGH Update April 8
How to give feedback
- Speak to your manager or director
- Ask your leader to bring forward an idea or concern to the COVID-19 Incident Management Team
- covidquestions@gghorg.ca
- What’s on your mind? (only works if you’re within the hospital)
Click to the section you want to read
Action/must read (1)
What’s New? (2)
Resources and Supplies (1)
Staff Support (2)
Policy Changes (0)
Notes & Comments (0)
Starting with the positive…
Just a quick reminder that thanks to generous donors, today is free Tim Hortons day for staff! Please be prepared for a long line up and don’t forget to practice social distancing!
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Reporting on COVID-19 activity in staff and patients
| Total number of staff tested to date | 174 |
| Total number of staff with a positive test result to date | 25 |
| Total number of staff with a negative test result to date | 128 |
| Total number of results pending | 21 |
| Number of current in-patients who have tested positive | 6 |
Action/Must read
Further efforts to conserve PPE
Safety of our staff and patients remains our priority through these very challenging times. We need to conserve our PPE so we have it when we really need it!
We are moving towards strategies that were not taught in school. We have to adjust to this huge SHIFT in thinking/using PPE wisely.
Please pause before discarding your mask/gown. Masks can be re-used if they are not contaminated or visibly soiled.
Preserve/prolong the use of your surgical mask as long as possible. Using a face shield over your mask can help with this!
What’s new?
First group of new Health Care Aides attend orientation
As a part of our recruitment blitz, the first group of Health Care Aides were on site for their orientation. This is a new position at the Hospital.
The position provides support services to the nursing staff by ensuring all areas are stocked and maintained with appropriate supplies and equipment, ordering supplies, and transporting supplies, equipment and patients both within the department and hospital wide, in a timely manner to accommodate efficient patient flow. The Health Care Aide assists with the turnover, cleaning and set up of patient rooms.
The Health Care Aide provides additional support by assisting the nurses with patient care which may include feeding, responding to call bells, supervising patients ambulating to the bathroom, transport of patients, providing warm blankets and answering the phones.
For complete information about the position and the necessary qualifications, please click here.
Changes to sick pay related to COVID-19
Recently, Ontario Health issued recommendations with respect to Full-Time (FT) and Part-Time (PT) non-union and union staff sick pay. Our hospital and our regional hospitals have agreed to adopt the recommendations. A summary to implement the recommendations can be found here.
Resources and Supplies
Our Foundation now has a dedicated page for those who want to make and donate homemade sewn masks.
Although there is no sewn face mask that can effectively replace a medical-grade mask (such as N95 masks) for our frontline workers, they can be used for other uses such as the general community, visitors or discharged patients. This allows GGH to save medical-grade masks for higher risk environments.
In fact, just recently, Health Canada and the Centre for Disease Control recommended wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.
Staff Support
CMHA Waterloo Wellington, in partnership with our community providers, has created a new service to provide free, immediate mental health and addiction care to front line healthcare workers, called Here4HealthCare.
The Here4HealthCare service pathways prioritize the needs of healthcare workers and link you to free psychiatry, crisis services, psychotherapy, support groups, as well as online virtual care and resources.
To access this new service, simply go to:www.here4healthcare.ca for a web-enabled, self-referral form, or a phone number to call. A new online resource library is also available anytime via this website.
Here4HealthCare has a number of different confidential services that are specific to the needs you might be facing at this time. Staff are encouraged to reach out for support.
Staff screening off to to good start
It’s only been two days but so far our active staff screening in the main lobby is going well. Kudos to everyone – both the screeners and participating staff. Please remember to self screen before entering the building by reviewing the four questions posted on the sign outside the door. Also, when leaving the building try to use the staff exit on Level 1. There you’ll see the incredible words of support coming from our community. It’s a great way to fill your sails at the end of the day.