Hamilton and surrounding hospitals prepare to pool resources as COVID-19 cases surge

If local hospitals become inundated with patients during the COVID-19 pandemic, some may have to stay in conference rooms or cafeterias, according to officials.

Donna Johnson, St. Joseph Healthcare Hamilton director of general medicine and emergency services, said that hasn't happened yet and it's unclear if thingswill get that bad, but local hospitals are operating at roughly 100 per cent capacity.

She said the public needs to be as cautious as ever to avoid hospitals from becoming overwhelmed.

"If they end up in the emergency department or their loved one is positive for COVID... people want to make sure the hospital has capacity to provide the care they need," Johnson said.

To avoid that, local hospital networks in and around Hamilton including Burlington, Niagara region and Haldimand County are now taking a regional approach and are ready to pool resources and bed space in case they see an influx of patients. Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) chief of emergency medicine Dr.Kuldeep Sidhu said between six and a dozen people have already been moved around.

"Our catchment area is well over a million people and when you look at the number of acute care beds within the hospital, it doesn't have the capacity to handle 100,000 or 10,000 patients," Sidhu said.

The city is also using the former Crowne Plaza Hotel as a satellite hospital to treat patients and create space. There are already between 30 and 60 people there, but in January there could be between 90 and 150 patients staying there accordingto Sidhu and Johnson. Sidhusaid none of those patientswould need acute care.

It comes as Hamilton recorded51 COVID-19 patients in local hospitals on Thursday, one of the highest local numbers during the pandemic. The city is also on the brink of lockdown, with the number of new daily cases jumping higher on aregular basis.Even Hamilton's hospitals haven't escaped COVID-19, with the Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre infecting 70 people and being linked toat least two deaths.

As novel coronavirus cases continue to infect people, the healthcare system is feeling increasing pressure. The province ordered hospitals in thegrey lockdownand red control zones to clear up 15 per cent of their beds for COVID-19 patients.

Hospitals struggle with thousands of backlogged surgeries

With the regional plan, the satellite hospitaland hopes a routine lull in demand during the winter will help free up space, both hospitals say they will have the extra space. But HHS and St. Joe's are also considering delayingsome of the procedures and surgeries theycurrently offer.

Johnsonsaid the first wave of COVID-19 had fewer people in hospital sometimesthe systemwas only half full. But people who avoided the hospitals are seeking treatment this time around (as Johnson and Sidhu say they should). Now,facilities are all at roughly 100 per cent every day and there are "thousands" of backlogged surgeries to complete.

"When hospitals operate at 100 per cent capacitythat is dealing with scheduled care and being able to look after unscheduled care and havingsome sense of what the numbers would be," Sidhu said.

"This is very worrisome. We don't know what the number of unscheduled visits to emergency and admissions and ICU. If we see a rapid rise already with the number of cases in the community going up daily, we don't know what the needs of the systems are going to be. The system has a capacity and a number."

WATCH |What happens if Hamilton hospitals become overwhelmed

St. Joe's director of general medicine says hospital capacity is under pressure

4 years ago

Duration 1:02

Donna Johnson, St. Joseph Healthcare Hamilton director of general medicine and emergency services, said hospitals are under pressure but are planning to ensure they still have space in case of a surge of COVID-19 patients.

Johnson said the surgeries that are backlogged are operations for things like joint replacements, cardiac surgeries and geriatric surgeries, as opposed to cancer surgeries and more urgent operations.

While 55 COVID-19 patients may not sound like a large number when compared to the853 active cases in the city, there's always the chance of a surge.

"The need to prepare for a greater volume, and it could be a greater volume in a short time period, is our concern as well," Johnson said.

"We're all concerned and everyone is keeping such a close eye on the volumes. Again, just really trying to balance both the COVID and non-COVID pressures."

St. Joe's has 11 ICU spaces for COVID-19 patients and, at its max, 30 bed spaces for COVID-19 patients. There are 11 COVID-19 patients at St. Joe's as of Thursday.

HHS has eight ICU spaces for COVID-19 patients and some 37 spaces for each of its COVID-19 wards. HHS has 38 COVID-19 patients as of Thursday.

WATCH |Who is ending up in Hamilton hospitals because of COVID-19

'No way to predict' when COVID-19 will hospitalize young person: HHS chief of emergency medicine

4 years ago

Duration 0:35

Dr. Kuldeep Sidhu, chief of emergency medicine at Hamilton Health Sciences, says seniors make up most of the COVID-19 patients in hospitals, but younger citizens aren't immune to the virus.

The bulk of COVID-19 patients are seniors, but both Johnson andSidhu saidthey have seen some younger people in the hospital because of the novel coronavirus.

"For some reason, there are younger patients that end up having a very bad course and there's no way to predict that but predominantly in the in-patient units in and the ICU you're seeing a greater percentage of elderly patients,"Sidhu said.

Staffinghas also been an issue with many workers from both hospital networks having to stay home for one reason or another including self-isolation or illness from COVID-19.

HHS and St. Joe's have been redeploying staff from different departments to try and fill the gaps. Some are also working in long-term care homes. Neither hospital network would say exactly how many workers are off, though.

There is also no word on if the demand hospitals and their staffare facing will affect the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.